Geelong head to the Apple Isle this weekend for a clash with North Melbourne, visiting Blundstone Arena in Hobart for just the third time in the club’s history.  

The Cats will be looking to gain momentum with just five games left in their home and away season, coming off last weekend’s disappointing loss to the Bulldogs.   

They will face a North Melbourne side that has improved since their last meeting in Round 5, when the Cats ran away with a 75 point win at GMHBA Stadium.  

Geelong currently sits in sixth position on the ladder, with the chance to finish anywhere from second place to seventh with a win this weekend, depending on other results.  

Match Details  

North Melbourne v Geelong 
1.45pm AEST, Saturday July 27 
Blundstone Arena, Hobart 

Last Time We Met  

Geelong faced North Melbourne in Round 5 this season, putting on a show at home in a 75 point win.   

The damage was done early on the back of a seven goal second quarter, with the Cats opening up a 51 point buffer at half time before cruising to a big win.  

Jeremy Cameron (six goals) and Brad Close (four goals) did the damage up forward, while Max Holmes (25 disposals & two goals) dominated through the middle.  

Recent History 

The Cats hold a strong recent record against North Melbourne, winning their last 12 consecutive games against the Kangaroos with the last loss coming in 2015.  

With an average winning margin of 45 points over those 12 games, North Melbourne have only got within 30 points of the Cats once in the last eight encounters.  

The stretch includes two big wins at this week’s venue, including a 60 point victory in the last clash at Hobart back in Round 6 of the 2022 season.  

Team Selection 

Geelong 
 
In: Tanner Bruhn, Shannon Neale, Jed Bews 

Out: Zach Tuohy (Managed), Brandan Parfitt, Mitch Knevitt (Omitted) 
 

Injury Report 

Click here to see the full Round 20 GMHBA Health update.  

Key Players  

As he does against most teams, Jeremy Cameron has dominated the last three outings against North Melbourne booting 17 goals, while averaging 22 disposals and nine marks per game in those three clashes. 

Zach Tuohy has polled Brownlow votes in both matches that Geelong has faced North Melbourne at Blundstone Arena, averaging 23 disposals across his last four clashes with the Kangaroos.  

Mitch Duncan has been another solid contributor against North Melbourne, averaging 25 disposals and nine marks per game across the past four meetings.  

Broadcast   

The match will be broadcast live on Fox Footy and streamed via Kayo from 1.30pm, ahead of the opening bounce at 1.45pm.   

Fans can listen to all the build up and match coverage on K rock Football from 12.00pm, with Tom Lonergan joining Ben Casanelia and Tom King in the commentary box on Saturday.  

Broadcast Guide  

Geelong bounced back onto the winners' list with a 40-point win over North Melbourne at Blundstone Arena on Saturday. 

The Cats posted their third 100-plus point scoreline in the past five weeks, defeating the Roos 16.10 (106) to 10.6 (66). 

A well-rounded performance set the Cats up, with Tyson Stengle and Ollie Dempsey (three goals each) leading the way on the scoreboard, while Tom Stewart and Jack Henry proved near impassable, with 13 and 10 intercept possessions respectively. 

Stewart had the third-highest disposal tally of his AFL career with 32 – a team-high – to go with nine marks, four clearances, four score involvements and 523 metres gained as he split his time between midfield and defence. 

Jeremy Cameron worked his way into the game, pushing up the field and finishing with a game-high 545 metres gained from his 19 disposals, taking eight marks and kicking two goals. 

When North threatened in the third term, cutting the margin back to just 10 points after a purple patch of form, it was some Stengle brilliance that got the Cats back on track, with a quick kick from a stoppage bouncing through, before sending through a beautiful kick from the boundary moments later. 

A strong pack mark from captain Patrick Dangerfield on the three-quarter-time siren saw the skipper extend the Cats’ lead to 28 points at the final change, and they never looked back. 

The Cats didn’t get through the game unscathed, however, with Gary Rohan subbed off midway through the third quarter following an accidental clash of heads with North Melbourne’s Tom Powell. 

The Kangaroos started the contest strong, kicking the opening three goals of the game, before the Cats’ launched a response with some clever thinking and quick reflexes on the goal line from Dempsey to get Geelong on the board. 

Stengle showed great composure and class to get the Cats’ second from the pocket, before a Shannon Neale set shot saw the Cats enter the first break three points up. 

The Kangaroos were quick out of the blocks in the second quarter, but from that point the Cats muscled their way to ascendancy, with a trio of goals to young guns Max Holmes, Dempsey and Ollie Henry. 

Goals to Cameron and Ollie Henry extended the Cats’ lead, but the Kangaroos were able to fight back, trapping their ball in their forward half and generating goals through Nick Larkey, Harry Sheezel and Zane Duursma, before Stengle sparked the Cats’ turnaround. 

The Cats return home next week to host Adelaide at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday evening. 

AFL ROUND 20 

NORTH MELBOURNE     3.1     4.3     7.4      10.6 (106)   
GEELONG                       3.4     6.5    11.8     16.10 (66) 

GOALS 
North Melbourne: Larkey 3, Duursma 2, Curtis, Sheezel, Simpkin, Teakle, Zurhaar 
Geelong: Dempsey 3, Stengle 3, Cameron 2, Henry 2, Mannagh 2, Close, Dangerfield, Holmes, Neale 

BEST 
North Melbourne: Powell, Xerri, Sheezel, Davies-Uniacke, Zurhaar 
Geelong: Stewart, Dempsey, Bowes, Cameron, O.Henry, Miers 

INJURIES 
North Melbourne: Nil 
Geelong: Rohan (concussion) 

SUBSTITUTES 
North Melbourne: Zane Duursma (replaced Robert Hansen jnr in the third quarter) 
Geelong: Ted Clohesy (replaced Gary Rohan in the third quarter) 

Crowd: TBC at Blundstone Arena