Geelong finished Round 15 in second place on the League Ladder and will be looking to consolidate that spot this weekend against the Kangaroos, with both the reigning premiers Melbourne and the much improved Carlton on the horizon.

The Cats will be missing star defender Tom Stewart to suspension and may look to replace him with a combination of Zach Guthrie and Jack Henry in the air, and will potentially look Mitch Duncan and Zach Tuohy to replicate Stewart’s drive off of half back.

In good news for Cats fans Saturday night will mark the first five games at GMHBA Stadium on the run home.

Here’s a couple of things to look out for on Saturday night when the ball is bounced at 7.25pm.

Danger is Back

A fully fit and firing Patrick Dangerfield is bad news for the rest of the competition, that goes without saying. But for now, he’s North Melbourne’s problem. While he’s been named at full forward, we’ll no doubt see him all over the pitch.

Historically, he averages 24.5 disposals per game against the Kangaroos and just under a goal, but arguably, his best ever game as a Cat – a 48 disposal, two goal, 11 inside 50, 13 clearance game back in 2016 also came against North, a side he’s never lost a game against since donning the hoops.

Form Guide

The last time North Melbourne beat Geelong was in Round 15, 2015, despite a 41 disposal performance from Jimmy Bartel at Marvel Stadium. It was the third of a three game winning streak across 2014-15, one that also included a 16 point win in Round 4, 2015 at Kardinia Park.  

Since then, Geelong have won the last nine clashes between the two sides, including the game in which the all-time record for a Cats v Roos game in Geelong was established when a crowd of 31265 witnessed a 37 point Cats win in 2018. The largest ever crowd between the two sides was for the 1994 Preliminary Final when 80,121 people were on hand to see Gary Ablett Snr reel in a one handed mark with two seconds on the clock to get the Cats into the Grand Final.

Mitch Duncan 250

If you’re on the fence about coming to the footy this Saturday night, celebrating Mitch Duncan’s milestone should be enough to get you over the line.

A premiership player at 20 and now the 19th player to play 250 games in the hoops, Duncan has been a model of consistency and class over more than a decade, and is also capable of the kind of ‘were you there when’ highlights like the 70 metre torpedo after the half time siren against the Eagles last year.  On top of that, the Duncan to Hawkins plays could be sculpted in bronze.

The good news is, there’s no signs of slowing up. Go well, Mitch. Here’s to 100 more.

GEELONG has blown away North Melbourne with a 13-goal to one second half to record a 112-point victory and inflict the Kangaroos' biggest loss of the year at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday night.

The 21.18 (144) to 5.2 (32) result was never really in doubt, despite the Kangaroos trailing by less than a goal at quarter-time, as the Cats surged into second spot on the ladder with their sixth win on the trot.

CATS v KANGAROOS Full match coverage and stats

Already at long odds, North's job was made even harder when they lost luckless utility Aaron Hall to a quad injury in the first two minutes of the game.

That was after Cats star Patrick Dangerfield marked his return after four weeks out with a calf injury by kicking the opening goal of the game from the centre bounce after 13 seconds.

Late in the first quarter, with North three goals down, Kayne Turner was also forced out of the match when he hit his head and hurt his knee in a clash with Mark Blicavs.

The Kangaroos rallied, kicking the last three goals of the opening term to trail by just four points at quarter-time.

But the Cats ramped up their team defence to repeatedly force turnovers and never looked back in a percentage boosting victory.

Onballer Mitch Duncan marked his 250th game with an equal team-high 30 possessions to lead a dominant Cats midfield who shared the load with 12 players finishing with 15 disposals or more. 

Key forwards Jeremy Cameron and Tom Hawkins lapped up the faultless supply from their teammates further up the field.

Cameron was best afield with four goals and 30 possessions, while Hawkins kicked six goals.

Kangaroos midfielder Luke Davies-Uniacke was outstanding with a game-high 35 possessions and eight clearances in a lone hand for his side.

The Cats’ win sets up a tantalising top-two clash with Melbourne at GMHBA Stadium on Thursday night.

Danger’s back, in a big way

It took the Brownlow Medallist just 13 seconds to make his presence felt, picking up the opening centre clearance before streaming down the field to boot a long-range goal on the run from the centre square. After four weeks on the sidelines with a calf injury, the comeback kid would go on to record 19 disposals and five marks in managed game time. Despite Danger’s extended stint on the sideline, he was in solid touch after his barnstorming start to the game and looks to be a dangerous asset for the Cats in the back-half of the season.

Milestone man Mitch

The ever-reliable Mitch Duncan celebrated game number 250 in style, with his 30-disposal and 14-mark effort making him one of the Cats’ best in the huge win. He had a shot on goal after the siren for what would have capped the fairytale off, but alas it wasn’t to be as the shot from the 50m arc fell short. Captain Joel Selwood didn’t take part in the match, but was on hand to chair off his good mate in his milestone game.

The walking wounded

It was always going to be an uphill battle to beat Geelong on its home deck, but North's job was made even harder when they lost two players before quarter-time. Aaron Hall was subbed-out with a quad injury just two minutes into the game, then Kayne Turner followed soon after, forced out of the match with concussion after clashing with Geelong's Mark Blicavs. That left the Roos with just three on the bench and made life even harder for the bottom-placed side.

GEELONG                    3.5     8.8   15.12    21.18   (144)
NORTH MELBOURNE   3.1    4.1    5.1       5.2       (32)

GOALS
Geelong: Hawkins 6, Cameron 4, Narkle 2, Stengle 2, Close 2, Menegola, Guthrie, Dangerfield, Z. Guthrie, Blicavs
North Melbourne: Mahony, Larkey, Curtis, Xerri, Zurhaar

BEST 
Geelong: Cameron, Hawkins, Duncan, C. Guthrie, Tuohy, Smith
North Melbourne: Davies-Uniacke, Simpkin, Corr, Stephenson

INJURIES 
Geelong: Nil
North Melbourne: Aaron Hall (quad), Kayne Turner (concussion)

LATE CHANGES
Geelong: Sam De Koning (cork) replaced in selected side by Quinton Narkle
North Melbourne: Nil

MEDICAL SUBS
Geelong: Shaun Higgins (unused)
North Melbourne: Phoenix Spicer (replaced Aaron Hill)