THE KEY DETAILS

2026 Smithy's VFL Grand Final
Geelong Cats v Box Hill Hawks
Sunday September 20, 2.05pm AEST
IKON Park, Melbourne

TEAM SELECTION

In: Jay Polkinghorne, Charley Green

Out: Rhys Stanley (injured), Kobe George

TWO PLAYERS TO WATCH

1. Joe Pike

The midfield battle will be ultra important on Sunday afternoon and for Geelong, that all starts with Joe Pike in the centre of the ground. 

In the midst of an excellent season, Pike sits fifth in the VFL for total hit-outs with an average of 21.1 per game, impressive numbers considering he shared the ruck duties with Rhys Stanley for a large portion of the year. 

He also has had no trouble finding the football himself, collecting 20 disposals in last week's Preliminary Final, while also recording seven intercept possessions in a dominant display. 

Pike has also found ways to hit the scoreboard with 10 goals from his 20 games this year, with the big Cat set to be important once again in the big dance on Sunday. 

2. Jamieson Ballantyne

Geelong have certainly packed a punch in attack this season, with the formidable one-two punch of Jesse Mellor and the exciting Jamieson Ballantyne leading the charge. 

Through 19 games this year, Ballantyne has kicked 38 goals and he is in red-hot form, having kicked four goals from his 14 disposals in Sunday's Preliminary Final win. 

His consistency has also impressed, hitting the scoreboard in 16 of his last 18 games and still finding plenty of the footy, something which will hold the Cats in good stead entering the Grand Final. 

THE ROAD TO THE GRAND FINAL

Geelong kicked off their campaign with a thumping 85-point victory over Essendon, ultimately proving to be a precursor for what was to come. 

The Cats then faced Box Hill in Round 2 and recorded another big win, before backing that up with a third straight win over Werribee. 

Their first wobble in the season came in Round 4 against Footscray, but that would be their last defeat for over three months, going on a 12-game winning streak. 

Geelong were powerful offensively with 11 scores of 100 points or more in the regular season, but were stoic defensively only conceding one score of 100 points or more. 

They then transitioned their form into the post-season, defeating Tasmania by 23 points in a Qualifying Final and then rolling to a 47-point victory over Port Melbourne in last week's Preliminary Final. 

It all led to Geelong progressing to this week's Smithy's VFL Grand Final against the Box Hill Hawks. 

LAST TIME WE MET

Round 2 provided a Grand Final preview in 2026, with the Cats taking care of business in a 47-point victory over Box Hill at GMHBA Stadium. 

Dan Capiron tore the game apart early with four goals in the opening 16 minutes of the game, helping Geelong build an eight goal buffer by the main break. 

They continued on their way in the third term and reached a 70-point lead by the final change, before taking their foot off the gas in the last quarter and conceding the final four goals of the contest. 

Jack Bowes finished with a remarkable stat line of 38 disposals and three goals, George Stevens not far behind with 28 disposals and two goals, while Lenny Hofmann and Mitch Knevitt were also instrumental. 

Capiron went on to finish with five goals to lead the way inside 50, but Geelpng also had nine individual goalkickers on a remarkable night at the Cattery. 

THE STANDOUT STATISTIC

Geelong has certainly had no trouble scoring throughout the 2026 VFL season. 

At the conclusion of the regular season, the Cats averaged a remarkable 108 points per game, scoring on 52% of their inside 50 entries which was comfortably the highest in the competition. 

They have then continued that form into the post-season, recording 24 scoring shots in their Qualifying Final and 26 in their Preliminary Final. 

Geelong's efficiency inside 50 was also evident in their Round 2 clash with Box Hill, kicking 19 goals from 54 inside 50 entries, while the Hawks could only manage 11 goals from 53 inside 50s. 

GEELONG'S BIGGEST SCORES IN 2026

GEELONG'S WEEK OF AWARDS

The Grand Final week celebrations kicked off on Monday night for the Cats, as a number of star players were recognised at the VFL awards. 

George Stevens shared the honours in the competition's top award, finishing tied with Frankston's Trent Mynott on 22 votes in the JJ.Liston Trophy, the VFL's Best and Fairest award. 

Stevens also finished in third place in the VFL Coaches MVP award, with Jack Bowes not far behind in a tie for ninth position. 

Three Cats were also recognised for their outstanding seasons with Nathan Kreuger (Full Back), George Stevens (Ruck Rover) and Mitch Knevitt (Wing) all selected in the Smithy's Team of the Year. 

Head coach Mark Corrigan also received well-deserved recognition on the night, named as the VFL Coach of the Year and the coach of the VFL Team of the Year. 

TICKETS

Admission prices for the 2026 Smithy’s VFL and VFLW Grand Finals are adults $20, concession/pensioners $15 and children under 15 free, which includes entry to both matches.

Tickets can be purchased at www.intix.com.au/org/vfl

Tickets can only be purchased online, they will not be available at the gate.

WHERE TO WATCH 

The 2026 Smithy’s VFL Grand Final will be broadcast live and free by ABC TV VIC, the network’s main channel in Victoria, and ABC iview nationally, with a stream available on AFL.com.au and the AFL Live Official App.

K rock will also be doing a live call of the Grand Final from IKON Park, tune in via 95.5FM.