A RED-HOT first half has paved the way for Geelong to keep in touch with the top four with a 25-point win over Collingwood at the MCG on Thursday night. 

The Cats burst out of the blocks with five goals to one in the opening term, clearly adapting to the innovative pre-game warm-up better than their Collingwood counterparts, laying the platform for the 15.7 (97) to 10.12 (72) victory.

But the Pies certainly didn’t roll over. After booting the final three goals of the first half, Craig McRae’s troops came out strongly in the second half, booting the next two to cut the margin to 16 points.

But the Cats steadied, reaffirming their status as a top six side in 2026, before pulling away late once more.

Highlights: Collingwood v Geelong

The Magpies and Cats clash in round 21 of the 2026 Toyota AFL Premiership Season

Geelong winger Ollie Dempsey was enormous, racking up 29 disposals, 10 marks and two goals, causing plenty of headaches for the Pies.

The young Cat has revolutionised the wing role over the past couple of years and was at his brilliant best against the Pies, further enhancing his chances of earning a maiden All-Australian blazer come the end of the year.

Midfield maestro Bailey Smith (28 disposals) was also prolific, working hard all night to break the attention from much-improved Pie Ed Allan.

Smith’s endurance allowed him to get to plenty of contests and he was also crucial to Geelong’s stoppage setup, often working defensively to ensure the Pies didn’t burst out of the stoppage.

Veteran defender Tom Stewart (25 disposals) patrolled the defensive airways in style, while the dynamic duo of Oliver Henry and Jay Polkinghorne stood up in the absence of gun forward Jeremy Cameron once more, booting three goals apiece.

‘How would you describe that?’: Cat’s freak finish stings old side

Oliver Henry watches on as his improbable effort gets the perfect bounce to hammer the final nail into Collingwood’s coffin

Collingwood tall Darcy Cameron (22 disposals) got the better of young Cat Mitch Edwards in the ruck, while veteran key forward Dan McStay did his best job of keeping the Pies in it with five goals.

Brownlow Medal fancy Nick Daicos was busy as always with a game-high 35 disposals, but a tag from Geelong’s Oisin Mullin curbed his influence.

Collingwood will sweat on the fitness of former Giant Harry Perryman, who left the field in the first half with a hamstring concern, while Geelong’s Zach Guthrie could be in trouble with the match review after being penalised for a dangerous tackle on Lachie Schultz.

Magpie’s head hits turf as Cat pinged for dangerous tackle

Zach Guthrie is penalised after Lachie Schultz appears to jar his head on impact in the tackle

The loss breaks a six-match winning streak for the Pies, who are still well and truly in the mix for a wildcard berth, while Geelong’s win is its third in a row.

Daicos v Mullin
Oisin Mullin would have to be one of Chris Scott’s favourite players. The Irish Cat has taken some huge scalps this year and had another enormous task stopping Collingwood superstar Nick Daicos on Thursday night. While Daicos had no troubles finding the footy early, Mullin did a superb job in curbing his influence throughout the first half. While Daicos had 17 touches across the first half, Mullin restricted him to just 93 metres gained and one inside 50. Given Daicos’ impact forward of centre, that would have to have been a huge tick in Chris Scott’s eyes. Daicos came to life in the second half, but Mullin was instrumental early in the contest.

‘Not just a lockdown player’: Mullin’s early points as Neale deals first blow

Oisin Mullin pushes forward despite his tagging assignment before Shannon Neale clunks a strong mark and slots the opener inside a minute

Innovative pre-game turns heads
Things looked a little different before the bounce on Thursday night, as both sides entered the arena significantly later than usual. The coin toss occurred inside the rooms about an hour before the bounce, while the two teams also completed their warm up much earlier than usual. Players entered the arena just minutes before the opening bounce, following a lights and fireworks display and rather than running out with the club theme songs, the Pies opted for ‘Heads Will Roll’ by Protostar and the Cats ‘Kernkraft 400’ by Zombie Nation.

COLLINGWOOD     1.2    4.4    7.6      10.12 (72)
GEELONG               5.2    9.3    10.5    15.7 (97)

GOALS
Collingwood: McStay 5, McCreery 2, West, Anderson, Harrison
Geelong: O.Henry 3, Polkinghorne 3, Dempsey 2, Neale 2, Blicavs, Mannagh, Miers, Martin, Wiltshire

BEST
Collingwood: Cameron, McStay, J.Daicos, Quaynor, N.Daicos, Lipinski
Geelong: Dempsey, O.Henry, Stewart, Smith, Atkins, Mullin

INJURIES
Collingwood: Perryman (hamstring), Howe (arm)
Geelong: Nil

Crowd: 60,023 at the MCG