Geelong's ferocious final quarter comeback fell just short on Saturday night, the Cats going down to St Kilda by seven points in a nail-biter at Marvel Stadium. 

The Cats trailed by as much as 40 points throughout the night but they refused to lie down, pushing the Saints all the way in a tense and chaotic final quarter. 

Tom Atkins (20 disposals, 11 tackles) toiled hard through the middle all night, supported by impressive performances from Lawson Humphries (22 disposals), Mark Blicavs (16 disposals, six clearances) and Jack Henry (11 intercept possessions). 

Another positive the Cats will take from Saturday night's clash was the performance of some emerging stars, with Connor O'Sullivan (15 disposals, nine intercepts) and Ted Clohesy (16 disposals, two goals) both having a big impact in the final quarter. 

The pace of the game was quick and the pressure was hot from St Kilda in the opening term, the Saints piling on six of the first seven goals to jump out to a 27 point lead at the first break. 

St Kilda kept the foot on the pedal in the second term, pushing the lead out to as much as 40 points at one point before two Geelong goals late in the quarter cut the margin back to 29 points at half time. 

Lawson Humphries fought hard across half back collecting a team high 15 disposals in the opening half, while Zach Guthrie (11 disposals) and youngster Jhye Clark (nine disposals) impressed under immense pressure. 

The Cats continued to push hard in the third term booting four goals, but struggled to cut into the deficit as they trailed by 27 points at the final break. 

Geelong gained ascendancy and battled strongly against the Saints in the last quarter, booting the final three goals of the match but ultimately the margin was slightly too big to overcome, the Cats comeback falling seven points short. 

Attention will quickly turn to a blockbuster round three match, with the Cats heading to the Gabba for a clash against Brisbane on Saturday night. 

2025 AFL Season - Round Two 

ST KILDA        6.1     10.5     14.6      15.8     (98) 
GEELONG       1.4       5.6      9.9      13.13    (91)
 
GOALS 
St Kilda: Higgins 4, Wood, Windhager, Sinclair, Owens, Collard 2, Keeler 1
Geelong: Stengle, Neale, Dempsey, Clohesy 2, Knevitt, Holmes, Close, Cameron, Blicavs 1
 
BEST
St Kilda: Windhager, Macrae, Sinclair, Wanganeen-Milera, Marshall, Higgins
Geelong: Humphries, Atkins, Guthrie, Cameron, O'Sullivan

INJURIES
St Kilda: Stocker (concussion)
Geelong: Stewart (knee)
 
SUBSTITUTES 
St Kilda: Hugo Garcia (replaced Liam Stocker at half time)
Geelong: Ted Clohesy (replaced Tom Stewart in the second quarter)