A pair of the league’s hottest finals aspirants meet in a huge clash crucial to shaping the top eight.

AFL ROUND 18
 
GIANTS v Cats
Saturday, July 12 at 4:15pm
ENGIE Stadium | Wangal Country

What It Means For The GIANTS  

Three impressive wins in a row has the GIANTS (8^th, 10-6) sitting just inside a log-jammed top eight ahead of Saturday’s finals-shaping clash with Geelong.

With nine clear candidates, including the GIANTS and the Cats, fighting for just eight finals spots, every clash across the final seven rounds will be crucial to determining who features in September – starting with Saturday’s showdown at ENGIE Stadium. 

The GIANTS will enter the round 18 blockbuster with Geelong following superb wins on the trot as they surge towards September – with a pair of impressive wins over fellow finals contenders Brisbane and Gold Coast in rounds 14 and 15 before following up their bye in round 16 with last week’s clinical 59-point win over the Eagles in Perth.

Pivotal to the win over the Eagles were several big performers who will be looking to carry their form into the clash with Geelong, with Finn Callaghan registering a new career-high 37 disposals in a starring best-on-ground display, while Josh Kelly (27 touches, two goals), Tom Green (35 touches), and skipper Toby Greene (18 touches, three goals) also all stellar in the win.

Meanwhile tough utility Xavier O’Halloran will enter Saturday’s clash off arguably a career-best game, with the 24-year-old collecting 27 touches, two goals and six clearances in a super performance against the Eagles. 

With just six points separating the second-placed Lions from the ninth-placed Dockers – and the GIANTS and the Cats lodged in between – the result of Saturday’s game will be sure to help shape the eight as the race to September heats up with just seven rounds remaining. 

Adding extra significance to Saturday’s game is a special milestone for Lachie Whitfield who will play his 250^th game if cleared to exit concussion protocols.

The Opposition 

Sitting fourth at 11-5 on the season, the Cats will enter ENGIE Stadium looking to further enhance their finals credentials after a red-hot stretch which has seen them go 6-1 in the last seven weeks.

With strong recent wins over the Western Bulldogs and the Gold Coast, the Cats can further enhance their reputation as a genuine premiership fancy with an on-the-road win over the GIANTS on Saturday.

Geelong will head to Sydney fresh off an emphatic 72-point win over the Tigers at GMHBA Stadium in which the home side led from start to finish to register a comfortable 18.16 (124) to 7.10 (52) win.

The Cats had 10 individual goalkickers in the win which was achieved without star midfielder Bailey Smith who was a late out against the Tigers with illness but is expected to return to take on the GIANTS on Saturday. 

Another star set to take on the GIANTS is star forward Jeremy Cameron who will face his former side after kicking his 700^th AFL goal in a starring role in the win over Richmond last week.

The likes of Max Holmes, Gryan Miers, and Patrick Dangerfield also shone against the Tigers last week and will again be vital to the Cats’ chances of taking down the GIANTS this weekend.

Recent History 

If their epic meetings across the last two seasons are anything to go by then Saturday’s clash is one not to be missed, with an average winning margin of just five points separating the sides in their last three encounters. 

Despite the close nature of the games, it has been the GIANTS who have continued to come out on top in recent history, with Adam Kingsley’s side winning the previous three in nail-biting fashion by just by seven, four, and four points.

During the most recent meeting – in round nine earlier this year – there were 10 lead changes in a see-sawing clash which saw the GIANTS ultimately hold on for an epic 16.9 (105) to 14.17 (101) win on Mother’s Day at GMHBA Stadium.

Jesse Hogan – who is hoping to prove his fitness and return from injury and illness this week against the Cats – kicked seven in a dominant display in the win. 

Key Match Up:  The Running Man V The Contested Bull  

Saturday’s clash will feature the AFL’s top two ball winners this season in GIANTS star Tom Green and hard-running Cat Bailey Smith.

Sitting first and second in the competition in disposals per game at 32 (Smith) and 31.2 (Green), the midfield duo impacts games in vastly different ways, but both continue to play pivotal roles in their side’s push to September. 

Smith is a running machine who does his best work out in space, while Green is one of the league’s most dominant inside ball winners with his grunt and clean hands inside the contest. 

The two stars shone when they met earlier this season, with Green collecting 37 disposals to go along with seven marks and six clearances, while Smith finished with 35 touches and 10 tackles.

After an intriguing battle with Eagle Harley Reid last week, a potential matchup between Green and Smith on Saturday is sure to have a major say in which side comes away with a crucial win at ENGIE Stadium.  

GIANTS Player To Watch: Lachie Whitfield  

If cleared from concussion protocols, GIANTS star Lachie Whitfield will celebrate his 250th AFL game on Saturday afternoon.

A two-time Kevin Sheedy Medallist and All Australian, Whitfield will become just the third GIANT to reach 250 games, joining Callan Ward and Toby Greene.

One of the GIANTS’ all-time greats and one of the league’s most damaging players, Whitfield will be a crucial addition off half back for the GIANTS as they look to take down the Cats for a second time this season and for the fourth straight time.

In the midst of another brilliant season - averaging 28.1 disposals at 80.5% efficiency – Whitfield will be hoping to celebrate his special milestone in winning fashion on Saturday as he aims for a repeat of his 30-disposal, nine rebound-50s and six score involvement performance in the round nine win over the Cats.

In The Mix  

A trio of GIANTS will face fitness tests later this week as they look to prove their fitness for Saturday’s clash, with Jesse Hogan (foot soreness), Jack Buckley (foot), and Whitfield (concussion) all pushing to take on the Cats.  

Several players also performed well in the VFL last week and could find their name in contention, with Jacob Wehr, Toby McMullin and the returning Stephen Coniglio leading the way. 

Click here for a recap of the VFL win.  

Team Selection

The GIANTS will name their team to take on the Cats at 6:20pm on Thursday at gwsgiants.com.au.

Rehab Report

Get a full injury update ahead of Saturday’s match here.

Where To Watch

The GIANTS’ clash with the Cats will be shown live and free in NSW and the ACT on Channel 7 and 7plus from 4pm, as well as nationally on Fox Footy and Kayo from 4pm.   

The GIANTS have blown away Geelong off the back of an Aaron Cadman goal blitz to rubber stamp their finals credentials with a 26-point triumph at ENGIE Stadium.

There was little to separate the pair of top-four contenders in a see-sawing contest until Cadman turned the game with four goals in the third term that set up the GIANTS' 17.9 (111) to 13.7 (85) victory over the Cats on Saturday.

The 21-year-old picked up where he left off with a mark and long bomb from outside 50m at the start of the final term, before the GIANTS pulled away for their fourth win in a row against the Cats.

While the GIANTS' all-time leading goalkicker Jeremy Cameron was standing at the other end now wearing Cats colours and limited by a groin concern, Cadman gave his side an exciting glimpse into the future.

The GIANTS' emerging key forward flew for marks, booted goals from set shots or snaps, and was simply too hot for even Tom Stewart to handle as he finished with a career-high haul of six goals. 

In more promising signs for the GIANTS as they took a huge step towards the finals, Cadman has now booted multiple majors in six of his past seven matches, while Jake Stringer turned back the clock with three critical goals before the main break. 

The GIANTS gave their opposition a head start for the third time in as many matches on their home turf until their onball brigade got on top at the stoppages with ruck Kieren Briggs leading the way. 

Tom Green was clean at the coalface as he gathered 24 disposals with 16 contested, as well as seven clearances to lead the way as the GIANTS took control, and young gun Harry Rowston also found plenty of the ball.

Finn Callaghan (29 disposals, nine clearances) added a touch of class and outside run for the GIANTS while helping to open up the Cats with 535 metres gained, while Lachie Whitfield celebrated his 250th match in style with a game-high 32 touches.

Cameron was playing his 100th game for the Cats and first at the GIANTS' home ground since switching clubs at the end of 2020, and quickly looked at home with a crunching tackle on Whitfield and goal in the opening five minutes. 

But the 32-year-old could not add to his goal tally as he spent considerable time on the sidelines getting treatment on a groin issue and had little further impact on the game.

With Cameron out of sorts it was left to the Cats' own young key forward Shannon Neale to make his mark with an equal career-high five goals as his straight kicking from set shots looms as a weapon on the run home and beyond.  

Bailey Smith gathered 26 disposals without quite having his usual influence, Gryan Miers (22) did plenty of damage with each possession, and Stewart (29) showed signs of rediscovering his touch.

But the Cats paid the price for being beaten up at the contest and there is much work to be done as they prepare to fine-tune for a likely finals campaign with six matches against teams in the bottom half of the ladder to come.

GIANTS Sour Cameron's Showgrounds Homecoming 

Jeremy Cameron gave the GIANTS an early reminder of what they have been missing since he left for the Cats before the 2021 season, as he wrapped up milestone man Lachie Whitfield in a tackle then slotted the free kick within five minutes of the opening bounce. The 32-year-old is still the GIANTS' all-time leading goalkicker after booting 427 majors for the club but had little further influence on his first game back at the Showgrounds. Cameron finished with only five disposals and could only add two behinds as he was hampered by a groin issue while Aaron Cadman turned the contest at the other end.

Jones Goes Alone After Beating A Pair Of Cats

Darcy Jones regularly lit up the Showgrounds when burning off Cats in open spaces but saved some of his best work for in close and deep in the forward half. The GIANTS speedster was at the feet of the tall timber as Cats defenders punched a long bomb away towards the boundary line where Jones was the quickest to pounce. With Jack Martin all but hanging off him and Mark O'Connor also in the contest, Jones kept the ball moving forward, was spun around then gathered just in time to get a banana away for a team-lifting solo goal out of nothing.  

GIANTS                  2.1     7.5     12.8     17.9 (111)
GEELONG              4.2     6.5      8.7       13.7 (85)

GOALS

GIANTS: Cadman 6, Stringer 4, Greene 2, Riccardi, Jones, Hogan, Brown, Bedford
Geelong: Neale 5, Miers, Mannagh, Holmes, Henry, Dempsey, Close, Cameron, Bowes

BEST

GIANTS: Cadman, Callaghan, Whitfield, Green, Briggs, Ash, Stringer
Geelong: Neale, Miers, Stewart, Smith, Dempsey

INJURIES

GIANTS: Nil
Geelong: Nil

SUBSTITUTES

GIANTS: Harvey Thomas (replaced Jesse Hogan in the fourth quarter)
Geelong: Ollie Henry (replaced George Stevens in the third quarter)