The Cats will play in the traditional Country Game this weekend, heading back to the MCG to take on Essendon this Saturday night.

Geelong remain inside the top eight, currently sitting in seventh position following their loss against Carlton last Friday.

Essendon sit third on the ladder with nine wins for the year, but have lost two of their past three games heading into this week.

Match Details 

Geelong v Essendon
7.30pm Saturday June 29
MCG, Melbourne - Wurundjeri

Last Time We Met 

The most recent meeting between the two sides came in round 18 last year, when the Cats defeated the Bombers by 77 points at GMHBA Stadium.

Geelong jumped out of the blocks with a seven goal to none opening quarter, cruising to a huge win on the back of a five-goal haul from Tom Hawkins.

Max Holmes led the way with a career high 33 disposals, while Tom Atkins (28 disposals & 12 tackles) and Gryan Miers (26 disposals & 1 Goal) were key contributors on the night.

Team Selection

Geelong

In: Mitch Knevitt, Shannon Neale, Lawson Humphries (Debut)

Out: Tom Hawkins (Injured), Ollie Henry (Injured), Oisin Mullin (Omitted)

Essendon

In: Todd Goldstein, Jade Gresham

Out: Jye Menzie, Nate Caddy

Injury Report

Tom Hawkins is set to miss between six and eight weeks with an atypical mid foot joint and ligament injury, that he sustained last Friday night in the clash with Carlton.

Tanner Bruhn is three to five weeks away after sustaining a wrist injury at training, while Cam Guthrie and Oli Wiltshire continue progress closer to a return to football.

Click here for the full Round 16 GMHBA Health Update.

Key Players 

Patrick Dangerfield holds a great record against most teams, but particularly enjoys facing Essendon averaging 28 disposals a game over his last four meetings with the Bombers.

The Cats captain has played against Essendon 19 times in his career, kicking 28 goals while averaging 21 possessions and five clearances across those games.

Tom Atkins and Tom Stewart are two more players who hold great recent records against the Bombers.

Tickets 

Tickets for the traditional Country Game are available here.

Broadcast  

The match will be broadcast live and free on Channel 7, while also available to stream via Kayo. 
 
Fans can listen to all the build up and match coverage on K rock Football from 6.05pm.  
 
Broadcast guide