GEELONG has made three changes to its Round 8 side that will play Richmond in a Grand Final re-match at the MCG on Friday night at 7.50pm.

Star recruit Shaun Higgins returns to the side and will play his first game since Round 3 after overcoming hamstring and thumb injuries.

Sam Simpson is another important inclusion for the Cats and will play his first AFL game this season after a delayed start to the year recovering from a shoulder reconstruction and quad injury.

He collected 18 disposals and looked sharp in Geelong's VFL win against Sydney last week and has been named to start on the bench.

Zach Guthrie rounds out the inclusions this week for the Cats and gets an opportunity to play from the outset after being the medical substitute last round.

Small forward Gryan Miers is out with a fractured fibula, while Jordan Clark and Quinton Narkle have been omitted.

Both Clark and Narkle are eligible to be the medical substitute after being named emergencies alongside Esava Ratugolea and Max Holmes.

The medical sub will be announced an hour prior to the first bounce.

Gary Rohan will play his 150th AFL game on Friday night. He joined Geelong in 2019 after playing 106 games for Sydney.

Round 8 Team

In: Shaun Higgins, Zach Guthrie, Sam Simpson

Out: Jordan Clark (omitted), Gryan Miers (injured), Quinton Narkle (omitted)