Cats vs Lions: A Clash Worth Getting Out of Bed For

Right, pull up a chair and stop fiddling with your phone, because Geelong and Brisbane have locked in their teams for Saturday’s contest at GMHBA Stadium and there is actually quite a bit to chew on — even for a Carlton man who’d rather be watching a reserves game at Princes Park on a drizzly Tuesday.

The Cats are at home, the Lions are travelling, and somewhere in between all the noise about the draw and the fixture and which broadcast platform has the rights this week, there is a genuine football match worth having a serious look at. So let’s have one.

What Geelong Bring to the Table

The Cats, as they so often do down there in Sleepy Hollow, have named a settled and experienced line-up that would have made Tom Hafey nod slowly and say, ‘yes, that’ll do.’ Their midfield brigade has the kind of grunt and cunning that only comes from playing together for a long time — back in my day we called it combinations, before the analytics lot invented seventeen new words for it.

Their key forward setup looks dangerous, and Geelong’s ability to move the footy out of defence with some real zip has been one of the talking points of their 2026 campaign. The half-back flank, in particular, has been a launching pad all season — those players read the play early, hit targets in the corridor, and suddenly you’re watching the ball sail inside 50 before the opposition backline has had a chance to reorganise. It’s not glamorous, but it is very, very effective.

The one question mark hovers over their ruck department, which has been asked to do an enormous amount of heavy lifting in recent weeks. If that area gets exposed, Brisbane have the personnel to make them pay.

Brisbane’s Travelling Party and Why It Matters

Here’s the thing about the Lions that people in the southern states still don’t quite give enough credit for: they travel well. Always have. There’s a mentality up there — maybe it’s the heat, maybe it’s the chip on the shoulder from years of being the forgotten franchise — that means they don’t arrive at GMHBA Stadium as tourists.

Their final squad shows a fully loaded midfield, with the kind of running capacity that will make the Geelong engine room earn every possession. Brisbane’s forward line, when it clicks, is one of the most dynamic in the competition — multiple crumbing options, a genuine aerial threat up forward, and the sort of link-up play that would make even this grumpy old VFL man sit forward in his seat.

They’ve also named a backline that reads like a who’s who of reading-the-play intelligence. No flashy intercept merchants playing the highlight reel — just solid, positional defenders who understand the system and execute it. That kind of defensive structure is going to be crucial against a Geelong attack that can hurt you from anywhere on the ground.

The Midfield Battle — Where the Game Will Be Won

I’ve been watching footy for longer than I care to admit, and I can tell you this much: when Geelong and Brisbane meet, the contest at the coalface is almost always the story. Both clubs have built their recent success through the midfield — through winning the clearance battle, through getting the first use, through making the opposition chase all day.

The Lions’ run-and-carry brigade versus Geelong’s stoppge-craft and structure — that’s your match-within-a-match, and whoever wins that battle is almost certainly collecting four points come the final siren. Whoever can control the tempo through that corridor, particularly in the second and third quarters when the game tends to open up, will have Kardinia Park — or GMHBA Stadium or whatever we’re calling it this week — in the palm of their hand.

The AFL, bless them, have tinkered with the stoppage rules again this year, so neither side quite knows where they stand until a boundary umpire makes a decision that satisfies nobody. But that’s a conversation for another column, and possibly a much longer drink.

Geelong’s Home Ground Advantage — Real or Overstated?

There’s always a lot of talk about how Geelong are impossible to beat down in Geelong, and look, I won’t pretend the numbers don’t support a degree of that narrative. The crowd gets behind them, the ground suits their style of play, and there’s something about the atmosphere down there that seems to lift the home side in tight finishes.

But Brisbane aren’t Footscray circa 1983. They have experience in hostile environments, they have the football smarts to adapt, and they’ll arrive having done their homework. The Lions won’t be intimidated by the packed stands and the vocal Cat faithful — if anything, a big crowd at GMHBA tends to bring out the best in visiting sides who have a point to prove.

Back in my day, interstate sides used to wilt a little under that kind of pressure. Not anymore. The Lions will be wound up and ready.

The X-Factor Options off the Bench

Both clubs have used their interchange bench cleverly this season, and the named emergencies tell a story of their own. Geelong have opted for depth in the engine room among their reserves, suggesting they expect a high-intensity, high-clearance game and want fresh legs to throw in if the match drifts away late.

Brisbane’s bench, meanwhile, leans into versatility — players who can play multiple roles, plug gaps in defence if needed, and provide genuine forward pressure in the final quarter. It’s a modern list management approach, and I’ll admit — grudgingly — that it is quite sensible, even if part of me misses the days when your last emergency was just a big bloke who could take a mark and kick it long.

\h2>Trev’s Tip — and I’m Not Especially Happy About It

Alright. Here it is. Gun to my head, sitting in my lounge chair with a cup of tea that’s gone slightly cold, I am tipping Brisbane to win this one — and not by a small margin either.

The Lions have the midfield run to trouble Geelong all day, their defensive structure will make it very hard for the Cats to score freely, and Brisbane have genuine belief in their own ability this season. Geelong are a fine side with a fine coach and fine players, and GMHBA is still a formidable venue. But something about the Lions’ list this year just feels like a unit that’s clicking, and that is a genuinely difficult thing to stop once it gets momentum.

I want to be clear: I am a Carlton man. I have no dog in this fight beyond a vague, ingrained suspicion of Geelong that dates back to the late seventies. So take my tip for what it is — the considered view of a man who has watched rather a lot of football and is occasionally right about these things.

Brisbane by 14. The Lions get off the plane, handle the crowd, and win the midfield. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Trev Whitlam has been watching and complaining about football since the Whitlam government was in power — and yes, he does take a certain pride in that. His views are his own and not those of FootyTalk or anyone sensible.