Who: Geelong Cats vs Brisbane Lions
Where: GMHBA Stadium
When: Friday 20 June at 7:40pm (local)
Gates Open: 5:40pm

Weekly Notices  
Nothing at this stage. Check back later for updates as information is subject to change!

Tickets

Tickets → Tickets are on sale here. Low availability already so get in quick!

Lions Members → Are you a Lions Member? Purchase tickets in the Member allocation here.

How to get to GMHBA Stadium

Address → 370 Moorabool St, South Geelong VIC 3220

Drive → Geelong is 75 kilometres from Melbourne accessible via the Westgate Bridge and following the Princes Freeway. In Geelong, the Princes Freeway becomes Latrobe Terrace (no turns required). Once you reach the set of traffic lights directly adjacent to 7-Eleven turn left onto Kilgour Street and make an immediate right. This will take you straight into Kardinia Park’s main entry being Kilgour Street.

Public Transport → Geelong is approximately one hour from Melbourne’s Southern Cross Station, with the Geelong Railway Station situated 1.8 kilometres to the north of the stadium and South Geelong Station located 450 metres to the east. Additional services may be provided by V/Line on Major Event days. Patrons are encouraged to visit the V/Line and/or Public Transport Victoria websites, for more information.

Other Helpful Links → Getting to GMHBA Stadium | Stadium Map | GMHBA Stadium FAQs

Broadcast

Watch → Free to air on 7, or stream on 7plus, Fox Footy, Kayo, or BINGE from 7:30pm.

For the second time in a month the Brisbane Lions will take a battered pride to Victoria looking to kibosh an opposition hoodoo that has stood for more than 20 years.

In Round 11, coming off a Gabba loss to 15^th-placed Melbourne, they were equal to the task when they beat 4^th-placed Hawthorn at the MCG for the first time since 2004.

And in Round 15 on Friday night, coming off a Gabba loss to 7^th-placed GWS, they will be chasing their first win over 2^nd-placed Geelong in Geelong since 2003.

Not since 4 May 2003, in Round 6 of the year of the club’s third consecutive premiership, have the Lions beaten the Cats in Geelong. Kai Lohmann, born two days later, is one of 16 current Brisbane players who were not even born.

Among them are Will and Levi Ashcroft, whose father Marcus played his 299^th game in Brisbane’s last win in Geelong, when a side which included Geelong coach Chris Scott and key off-sider Nigel Lappin celebrated Lappin’s 200^th game with a come-from-behind 14 point win.

Lappin, now head of development at the Cats, collected three Brownlow Medal votes on a day which showed how much the game has changed, with 10 Lions playing 100% game time.

It’s a feat that has occurred only once in 14 Brisbane games this year, when Harris Andrews played 100% game time against Melbourne in Round 10.

Of the current Lions players, only ex-Geelong player Darcy Fort and Lachie Neale in his Fremantle days have won at the venue, and nine players who have appeared in the AFL this year have never played there.

It’s exactly the ‘now is the time’ scenario which will drive coach Chris Fagan and his troops as they take on a 13-game losing streak at the ‘Cattery’, which is longer and more narrow than most grounds in the AFL.

Fagan, who has taken the Lions there only three times for a 42-point loss in 2018, a one-point loss in 2021 and a 10-point loss in 2022, will draw confidence from the fact that they beat Geelong at the Gabba by nine points in Round 3 this year after a 10-point win over Geelong at the MCG in last year’s preliminary final.

Jaspa Fletcher will be among the Brisbane players to have their first taste of Kardinia Park on Friday night, 36 years on from his father Adrian’s AFL debut for Geelong against Brisbane. The 19-year-old Tasmanian, at the first of his four clubs, had 17 possessions in a record 129-point Cats win in Warwick Capper’s 100^th game a week before Marcus Ashcroft made his AFL debut.

It’s all part of a Brisbane history at Kardinia Park which has delivered a 7-1-18 record and began with arguably the greatest individual home-and-away performance by a Brisbane player.

In Round 2 1987, in the club’s second game, inaugural vice-captain Mark Williams had 30 possessions and kicked six goals in a 19-point win.

It’s the only time in club history a Brisbane player has posted a 30/6 double, with Jason Akermanis and Dayne Beams having had 30/5, while Beams, Michael Voss, Mark Withers, Tim Notting and Dayne Zorko (twice) have had a 30/4 double.

Williams’ outstanding performance, which went unrewarded in the Brownlow Medal as Matthew Campbell, Mike Richardson and Mark Mickan took the votes, came as Daryl Cox became the first ex-Fitzroy player to wear Brisbane colours.

It was Cox’ only game for the club and the last of his 30-game career, which included 16 games at Fitzroy and 13 games at Melbourne.

In other newsworthy Brisbane moments at Kardinia Park:

In Round 13 2004, when Geelong won by 27 points to begin their 13-game winning streak, the three Brownlow votes went to Ben Graham, older brother of Lions CEO-elect Sam Graham, former NFL punter and nephew of one-time Brisbane Bears board member Ricky Graham, a Tasmanian football great who coached Windsor-Zillmere in the QAFL in 1970s.

Other Brisbane AFL debutants at Kardinia Park have been Simon Luhrs (1991), Trent Bartlett (1995), Albert Proud (2007), Ryan Harwood (2010), Jordon Bourke (2014) and Jaxon Prior (2018).

Queenslander Marc Woolnough, son of ex-Geelong and Collingwood player Mike Woolnough, played his first game for the Cats against Brisbane in 1998 in a career cut short by two knee reconstructions.

Other major Brisbane milestones at Kardinia Park have been Robert Walls’ 100^th game as Brisbane coach (1995), Matthew Clarke’s 100^th game (1998), Chris Johnson’s 150^th (2001), Ash McGrath’s 100^th (2008), Daniel Rich’s 250^th (2022) and an odd one – Mark Harvey’s third and last game as Brisbane coach and his 100^th game as an AFL coach in the last round of 2013, when he filled in after the sacking of Michael Voss.

Brisbane Records at Kardinia Park are:

Most Possessions – 37. This is shared at Tom Rockliff (2013) and Dayne Beams (2018). Luke Power’s 36 in 2010, Simon Black’s 34 in 2001 and Nigel Lappin’s 33 in 2000 are next best.

Most Goals – 8. This is a record that has stood for 38 years after Jim Edmond kicked a career-high in the club’s first visit in 1987. Mark Williams’ six in the same game and Ash McGrath’s six in 2013 are next best.

Most Brownlow Medal Votes – 8. Nigel Lappin was twice best afield and polled three times at the ground he now calls home, while Craig Lambert (6), Jason Akermanis (5), Michael Voss (4), Adrian Fletcher (4) and Luke Power (3) polled twice.

For Geelong against Brisbane at Kardinia Park, Gary Ablett Jnr (42) and Joel Selwood (41) top the single-game possession list, Gary Ablett Snr’s eight goals in 1987 is their best, and Selwood’s 11 votes is a club high from Ablett Jnr’s eight and Tom Hawkins’ seven.

THE DANGER show, quite rightly, rolled into Geelong this week, celebrating a superstar's 350th game.

But Brisbane wasn't interested in bringing a plate to the party, kicking the first four goals of the game to leave the Cats somewhat dazed and floundering after a week of Patrick Dangerfield festivities.

The hot start set the tone for the remainder of the game, the Lions finding holes where few can across the narrow GMHBA Stadium and picking their way through the Cats with ease to record a thumping 41-point win on Friday night, 14.8 (92) to 6.15 (51).

It was Brisbane's first victory at Kardinia Park since 2003 – a game which featured Geelong coach Chris Scott in Brisbane colours – and sent a reminder to the rest of the competition that the reigning premier is very much still in the mix despite some patchy form, thank you very much.

Geelong's disposal in the first quarter left much to be desired, Brisbane leaving the perfect teasing distance to tempt the Cats into dangerous kicks into the corridor, which were picked off with relish.

Even the normally dead-eye Gryan Miers was struggling to hit a target, while at the other end of the field, the Lions were dobbing goals with ease.

Brisbane's backline was without Jack Payne (patella) and late withdrawal Darcy Gardiner (illness), but such was the pressure applied further afield, Harris Andrews and Brandon Starcevich were able to pick off Geelong's forward-50 entries under minimal heat.

The Cats had appeared to have made some headway in at least equalising the contest in the second quarter, but didn't take advantage of their opportunities in attack, and the margin drifted out to 23 at half-time.

The emergency glass was broken when Dangerfield was thrown into the middle in the second half of the second term, immediately wheeling out of the centre with ball in hand, but it didn't have the desired effect, the Cats with just three majors to the main break.

Cam Rayner's nickname is (affectionately) Pumbaa, but he was the Lion King on Friday night, simply imperious around the ground, his power at the contest second to none and kicking 3.2 as a cherry on top.

Hugh McCluggage cut through the turf with ease as the Lions took control in the second half, while Josh Dunkley and Will Ashcroft worked hard at the coalface. 

As for Dangerfield, it was a dirty night for the Geelong champion, looking uncharacteristically rushed in front of goal, kicking three behinds from his 15 touches as the team managed 3.10 after half-time.

Jeremy Cameron continued his odd run of form, not quite looking 100 per cent in his ball-handling but still managing to kick four goals, while Bailey Smith's disposal was the only thing to let him down amid his 28 disposals and hard running.

Starcevich continued his successful return from his long break with concussion, and was only subbed out due to cramp.

Joe who?
There was a justifiable question over just how Brisbane was going to cover the loss of retired spearhead Joe Daniher, but after 10 goals in two weeks, Logan Morris has well and truly stamped his claim as a (somewhat undersized) leader of the forward line. The 20-year-old was a constant threat in the air and at ground level, and has now well and truly seen off Sam Taylor/Jack Buckley and Jack Henry in successive weeks.

How to dismantle the Cats?
The general stats were relatively even at three-quarter time, despite Brisbane leading by 32 points. Aside from the scoreboard, the one clear disparity was uncontested possessions, with the Lions also leading that count by 32. Their ball movement on the outside was sublime, picking apart the Cats with ease, and their goal accuracy was first class. 

The "third wheel" leading the way
Fans and pundits alike have become enamoured with Geelong's new "dash brothers" combination of Max Holmes and Bailey Smith, but it's arguably the form and hard work of Tom Atkins on the inside that's allowing the pair to thrive. When the game was in the balance in the first half, it was the tenaciousness of the AFL's leading tackler that kept the Cats somewhat in touch, rather than the host of more feted superstars on the list.

GEELONG           1.3     3.5     5.10     6.15 (51)  
BRISBANE          4.2     7.4     11.6     14.8 (92)  

GOALS
Geelong: Cameron 4, Neale, Miers
Brisbane: Morris 5, Rayner 3, Lohmann 2, Wilmot, McCluggage, W.Ashcroft, L.Ashcroft

BEST
Geelong: Smith, Atkins, Cameron, Holmes
Brisbane: Rayner, Morris, Dunkley, McCluggage, Zorko, W.Ashcroft
 

INJURIES
Geelong: Nil
Brisbane: Nil
 

LATE CHANGES
Geelong: Nil
Brisbane: Darcy Gardiner (illness) replaced by Bruce Reville

SUBSTITUTES
Geelong: Ollie Henry (replaced Mitch Duncan in the third quarter)
Brisbane: Bruce Reville (replaced Brandon Starcevich in the fourth quarter)

Crowd: 35,367 at GMHBA Stadium