Geelong’s 2020 Finals campaign gets underway on Thursday night when the Cats travel to Adelaide to take on the Power in the first qualifying final.

There will be a lot to play for with the winner to advance directly through to a preliminary final, whilst the loser will host a semi final against the winner of West Coast and Collingwood next week.

After earning a double chance with a fourth place finish, Geelong enters the match with confidence and coach Chris Scott says his team is ready to 'embrace' the challenge that awaits.

"It is great to be in the race, we’ve worked really hard to get to this point and given ourselves a chance, but we are really aware that’s all it is," Scott said.

"What we have done throughout this year won’t count for much if we cannot deliver in the moment, so with that comes some stress, some excitement and some nervousness, but we relish that and embrace it."

For and Against: Played 34 games | Won: 23 | Drawn: 1 | Lost: 10

Last time they met: R12, 2020 – Geelong 14.7 (91) def Port Adelaide 4.7 (31)

Tom Hawkins and Gary Rohan combined to kick nine goals. Cameron Guthrie had a game-high 27 disposals and Patrick Dangerfield was influential in the middle with four centre clearances and 24 touches.

Travis Boak led the way for the Power with 24 disposals and seven clearances, whilst Ollie Wines had five clearances and five intercepts.

Broadcast & Match Details

Thursday 1 October from 7.40pm AEST.
Watch: Seven, Fox Footy, Kayo
Listen: K Rock Football

Chris Scott on Port Adelaide...

"We have always had a high level of respect for the way they go about it, the way they’re coached, they’re going to be a significant challenge," Scott said.

"Statistically they have been consistent right throughout the year and they are clear on the way they want the game played.

"Their stoppage and contest work has been important for them. We were okay there last time, but we are not going into the game thinking lets replicate what we did last time, because again every week tends to be unique in its own right and we shouldn’t dismiss the fact that they may have had a bad day the last time we played them."

Six versus Six...

When Thursday night arrives it will have been 2575 days since the two sides last met in a final. It as the 2013 semi final with Geelong 16-point winners on that occasion.

Both sides have six players apiece that featured in that game that are still playing and likely to line up for their respective sides this week. 

Joel Selwood, Harry Taylor, Tom Hawkins, Mitch Duncan, Cameron Guthrie and Mark Blicavs were amongst the winning side for the Cats, whilst Brad Ebert, Travis Boak, Robbie Gray, Ollie Wines, Tom Jonas and Hamish Hartlett featured for the Power.

Bews set to bring up ton...

It will be a special occasion for Jed Bews who is set to play his 100th AFL game. Taken as a father-son selection in the 2011 national draft, Bews will become the 164th Geelong player to play 100 games for the club.

Jed's Father Andrew played 207 games for Geelong between 1982 and 1993.

Selwood set for podium...

Joel Selwood will draw level with Gordon Coventry in third position on the all-time VFL/AFL list for most finals played with 31.

Harry Taylor is also on the move and due to play his 28th final, which will see him draw level with former premiership Cat Jimmy Bartel in equal eighth spot.

GEELONG has fallen to Port Adelaide in the first qualifying final at Adelaide Oval on Thursday night.

The Power recording a 9.4 (58) to 5.12 (42) victory to be the first team to secure themselves a place in the preliminary finals.

The result was a dramatic reversal to the 10-goal hiding the Cats dished out to Ken Hinkley's men seven weeks ago. 

Tom Rockliff being arguably the best player afield fitted the night's events in the first final of a career 12 seasons deep. Rockliff and Sam Powell-Pepper were the hard heads in the centre, winning a combined 10 clearances. 

After hanging in for much of the first half, Port exploded into action in a frenetic start to the third term that stole the match from Geelong's wasteful grasp. 

It began with a Xavier Duursma tackle on Jack Henry that turned the ball over in the middle and kickstarted a three-goal burst to open a match-high 21-point buffer in a low-scoring contest. 

Ex-Cat Steven Motlop was central to the fireworks – kicking his third major with a snap over his head – but even those who had a quiet first half came to life. 

Travis Boak, Ollie Wines and Hamish Hartlett rallied to make their mark, and the kids stood up again. 

Fast-forward to the final term, and Zak Butters' effort to win a hard ball set up a Peter Ladhams goal just as Geelong had closed the margin to seven points. 

The only blemish on an otherwise great night was a potential match review incident for Butters, who will sweat over how his potential headbutt on Mark O'Connor will be viewed. 

For the Cats, this loss does nothing for their finals reputation as underachievers under Chris Scott. 

The dying stages of the first half summed up their night. 

Joel Selwood had just kicked a brilliant, standing-start goal to finally give Geelong a narrow – but deserved – lead in the final minute, after largely dominating the second quarter. 

The morale-booster was short-lived. 

Port won the ensuing centre clearance before an awkward but accurate Wines kick set up Brad Ebert's magnificent 50m strike as the half-time siren sounded that gave his team a one-point edge. 

That finish meant it was instead the Power who strode off with purpose, after the Cats had beaten them up in the contest but continually wasted opportunities in front of goal. 

The greatest culprit? Tom Hawkins, the man who tore Port apart in the corresponding round 12 clash to the tune of six goals, 12 score involvements and nine marks inside 50. 

On this night, Hawkins finished with five miserable behinds. 

His first two shots were deep in the pocket – one went right across the face, then the next to the near side of the left goalpost. Hawkins' next two were less forgivable. 

The Coleman medallist sprayed a straightforward set shot to the right before opting to play on at his next chance – again within range – and watching his left-foot snap register another behind.

Geelong now has a week to regroup before hosting the winner of West Coast and Collingwood. 

PORT ADELAIDE     2.1     4.2     7.4     9.4     (58)
GEELONG                1.4     3.7     4.8     5.12     (42) 

GOALS
Port Adelaide: Motlop 3, Ebert 2, Dixon, Rozee, Ladhams, Marshall
Geelong: Stanley 2, Tuohy, Selwood, Dangerfield 

BEST
Port Adelaide: Rockliff, Powell-Pepper, Ebert, Motlop, Wines, Hartlett, Butters
Geelong: Parfitt, Selwood, Dangerfield, Guthrie, Duncan, Taylor

INJURIES
Port Adelaide: Duursma (concussion), Marshall (shoulder)
Geelong: Nil