It is a case of the unstoppable force against the immovable object on Friday night, as Geelong's high-octane offence squares off with Carlton's impressive defence in a colossal Elimination Final. 

The Cats boast a well-rounded forward structure led by Shannon Neale, Jay Polkinghorne and Ollie Henry, while Jeremy Cameron returned in Round 24 and will also add plenty of X-factor in September. 

The stats paint the picture. Geelong averaged 102 points per game across the home-and-away season and eclipsed the 100-point mark on 14 different occasions, which included a lowest score of 97 points in their last six matches. 

But while the Cats might be sound offensively, Carlton have been exceptional defensively and only conceded an average of 85 points per game to opposition teams, while only giving up one 100+ score from Round 10 through to the end of the regular season. 

At the centre of the monumental battle will be Shannon Neale, with the big Cat touching on some of the big matchups that might take place during his press conference this week. 

"Weitering has come to me the last few times we have played, but they are an exciting defensive duo," Neale said. 

"Harry Dean in his first year has done some incredible things.

"Jay Polkinghorne has come in and played magnificently as well, so it will be two young key position players going at it, if Weitering comes to me and Dean expectedly goes to Jay.

"We might swing a few things, I don't know where Jeremy is going to start necessarily, but it might be something that we look to go to."

The last six weeks of the home-and-away season gave Geelong plenty of momentum heading into September, with a new-look forward line gelling immediately in the aftermath of an injury to Jeremy Cameron. 

Jay Polkinghorne was rewarded for his form at VFL level and made an instant impact, kicking 13 goals from his first six games in the AFL and playing a vital role in some important wins for the Cats. 

Neale continued to lead the way with 17 goals across those six weeks, Ollie Henry was not far behind with 16 majors across that span, while Shaun Mannagh and Ollie Dempsey also booted 10 goals apiece. 

Noting how important Polkinghorne has been in solidifying Geelong's structure, Neale said it will be exciting to play alongside him in the young talent's first Final. 

"There is a lot of talk about those guys that come in, can be ready to play at the level and perform," Neale said. 

"Not just to fill a hole but to come in and play their role, but do it exceptionally well which Jay has done. But I think with Jay, he is a natural forward and he has got really good craft. He is really disciplined, easy to set up with.

"A lot of people have asked me over the year if I see it as my forward line, but I see it as our forward line and the team's forward line. But I am trying to be a leader within that forward line and setting us up being vocal, and he is super disciplined with how he goes about it.

"It is really easy to play with him, then his leading patterns and how he rolls within a game, that is going to come naturally.

"It sort of has clicked pretty quickly which is nice, but I love playing with Jay and I am looking forward to playing alongside him in his first Final."

A contentious issue going into last year's Finals series was Shannon Neale's pre-game preparation, with the startling revelation about his choice of meal heading into an important match. 

Quizzed on the topic, Neale noted that his pizza and pasta pre-game feed will continue in 2026, as he prepares for his third AFL Finals campaign. 

"Last year, my partner didn't live with me. She was still in Perth and we were doing long distance, but she has moved over now," Neale told media. 

"She has got Italian heritage, so she cooks for me which is good. I take her wherever we go, but she is a great cook so I have got her kitted and ready to go.

"We still go out in Geelong every now and again, not as religiously but we still pop our heads in every now and again.

"Two pastas and a pizza is usually what I go for, they like my business I think."