You can simply never count these Cats out and despite a slow start in Friday night's Elimination Final, Geelong has stormed home to clinch an incredible 33-point victory over Carlton at the MCG. 

The Cats conceded five of the opening six goals of the match and were struggling to split the big sticks themselves early, but flipped momentum with a run of three unanswered goals to end the opening half, before putting the foot down after the main break in a statement victory. 

When Geelong were looking for a spark in difficult conditions, it was some of their smaller and craftier players that went to work, with Shaun Mannagh injected into the midfield, Oli Wiltshire dominating in the forward half and the brilliance of Gryan Miers coming to the fore. 

Tom Stewart was exceptional across half back and provided plenty of composure in some big moments, Mitch Edwards was terrific in his first Final and helped to turn the tide through the middle, while Patrick Dangerfield proved to be the difference in front of goal. 

Geelong's big victory on Friday night will see their 2026 season roll on, progressing through to a Semi Final against Fremantle next week at Optus Stadium. 

With September football comes a heightened level of intensity, a pressure unlike anything else and a tension that can be felt right around the stadium, but it was something that Geelong struggled to adapt to early as Carlton gained momentum and kicked the opening two goals of the game. 

The telling factor early was the Blues' dominance around stoppages and their ability to control the ball in transition, with Geelong's issues compounded by inaccuracy in front of goal, until Patrick Dangerfield landed Geelong's first blow with a brilliant snap from relatively long range. 

But it would be a brief moment of respite amongst an otherwise disappointing opening term, as the Cats found themselves trailing by 16 points at quarter time.

Oli Wiltshire had some nice moments early in his first AFL Final, going at 100% disposal efficiency and adding two score involvements in the first term, while the ever-reliable Tom Stewart helped to limit the damage with four intercept possessions. 

The second quarter continued in a similar fashion, both teams squandering chances and it took until the 14-minute mark for the first goal to be kicked, but unfortunately it went Carlton's way and made life even more difficult for the Cats. 

Geelong were desperate for a spark and it came from an unlikely source, with Wiltshire producing two brilliant pieces of play and two goal assists, first setting up Gryan Miers and then hitting Brad Close with a perfect entry kick for back-to-back goals. 

Another foray forward late in the term landed in the hands of Max Holmes and on his return from injury, the superstar made no mistake with the ensuing set-shot to drag the Cats back within just three points at half time. 

It was a brilliant resurgence in what had been a tough and uncompromising contest to the main break, with plenty of Geelong's momentum coming off the back of some outstanding play from Wiltshire and Miers, who both recorded six score involvements in the opening half. 

Stewart was rock solid in defence with seven intercept possessions and still went at 93% disposal efficiency, Shaun Mannagh was injected into the midfield and found 10 disposals in the second quarter alone, while Tom Atkins' hunt around the contest could not be overstated as one of the main factors in Geelong's turnaround. 

Looking to capitalise on their momentum, it took the Cats less than a minute to hit the scoreboard with Mannagh curling home another major, putting his side in front for the first time since the five-minute mark of the opening term. 

The game, which had been more of a defensive battle in the first half, started to open as Carlton responded with a pair of goals, before Geelong answered with three straight of their own. 

Shannon Neale threaded the needle from a tight angle, Jay Polkinghorne added another from a set-shot, the Cats had five unanswered goals and remarkably, they took a 23-point lead into three quarter time. 

Once again, Mannagh topped the stat sheet with 10 disposals and a goal in the third term, Bailey Smith started to work his way through a tight tag and found 10 possessions in the term, while the crafty Miers was proving instrumental with his decision-making and skill. 

If there was any doubt heading into the final term, it was quickly quashed when Neale took a big contested mark and kicked his second of the night, helping to extend the lead. 

The skipper then wound the clock back to bring the Cats faithful to their feet, piling on three consecutive goals to give Geelong an unassailable lead midway through the quarter. 

The professional Cats outfit then did what they needed to do to close out the game, sealing an incredible 33-point victory in front of a packed house at the MCG. 

2026 AFL Season - Elimination Final

GEELONG     1.5   4.10  10.13   14.23   (107)  
CARLTON     4.3    5.7     7.8      11.8    (74) 

GOALS
Geelong: Dangerfield 5, Neale, Miers 2, Polkinghorne, Mannagh, Holmes, O.Henry, Close 1
Carlton: Evans, Kemp, Lord 2, McKay, Hollands, Cripps, Cottrell, Ainsworth 1

BEST 
Geelong: Mannagh, Dangerfield, Smith, Wiltshire, Stewart, J.Henry
Carlton: Smith, Walsh, Cripps, Wilson, Pittonet, Cowan

Crowd: 96,880 at the MCG