Jeremy Cameron celebrates kicking a goal during the match between Geelong and Gold Coast at GMHBA Stadium in round 14, 2026. Picture: Getty Images
ON A night Geelong encouraged its fans to mix its metaphors and wave the white towel, the players did anything but, asserting their dominance with a 45-point win over Gold Coast.
With attendees all given a white towel to “white out the stadium” (which for the most part, they whirled with gleeful abandon, adding some spark to a usually staid crowd), the professional Cats pushed clear to the 15.15 (105) to 8.12 (60) result.
CATS v SUNS Full match coverage and stats
Gold Coast’s record at GMHBA Stadium has extended to 0-10, but more pertinently, the Suns look a shadow of the confident edition which demolished the Cats at the start of the year, managing eight goals, two of which came in “junk time”.
Geelong’s defence had initially looked unsettled without Tom Stewart (concussion), with Jack Henry moved to the backline after a few weeks in attack, and Mark Blicavs thrown to a forward/wing role, and there was an opportunity to take advantage of the weakened line.
But the Suns overused the footy and were stagnant throughout, and the warning signs were there in the first quarter, recording 56 more disposals, trailing the inside 50 count by seven and scoreboard by one goal.
Oisin Mullin’s list of tagging victims has continued to grow, taking on Christian Petracca and holding the superstar Sun to just two kicks in the first quarter and 21 touches for the match, with two clearances.
Geelong pushed out to a 28-point lead at half-time, with Jeremy Cameron taking advantage of a few generous free kicks, although he coughed up a downfield free kick later in the game after a tussle with Charlie Ballard that may hit his wallet once the MRO takes a look.
At the other end of the field, Gold Coast blew multiple opportunities, only able to add four points (and one out-on-the-full) in the second term.
Even Petracca – having earned a holding-the-ball free – was fluffing his lines in front of goal, with the Suns finally managing to record their fourth goal 11 minutes into the third quarter, breaking a run of seven consecutive Cats goals.
Geelong was simply just doing enough to maintain a 3-4 goal lead throughout most of the game. It wasn’t especially scintillating footy, until both Shannon Neale and Oli Wiltshire kicked their second majors from outside 50.
Mac Andrew – who had taken a series of impressive intercepts in defence throughout the match – was thrown forward to start the last quarter, with Gold Coast needing to double its goal tally of five in order to have any chance of stealing a win.
But the Suns managed three (two coming after the towel had been thrown in and the white flag waved), while the Cats kicked into party mode after the shackles had been released.
Max Holmes (31 disposals) and Bailey Smith (27) ran hard throughout, Ollie Dempsey (20 and two goals) starred on the wing and once again did his best work on the goal line, while Lawson Humphries used the ball beautifully off half-back.
Gold Coast’s prime movers of Noah Anderson (29), Matt Rowell (26) and the outside run of Daniel Rioli (27) found plenty of the footy, but their impact was limited.
Where to now for the Suns?
Gold Coast has slumped to three straight losses, and has Hawthorn and Fremantle to come in the next two weeks. It’s a far cry from the jubilant 56-point win recorded over Geelong to open the season, or the heady heights of last year’s breakthrough elimination final win against the Dockers. The Suns will remain in the wildcard bracket for another week, but the need for a win has intensified, with the second tier of players under the guns struggling to consistently perform.
Have the Cats found another?
In game No.8, local Barwon Heads product Wiltshire caught the eye with his sparky attack on the footy and smart decisions with ball in hand, particularly when the game was in the balance in the first half. The Cats – usually overflowing with small forwards – have a few vacancies at the moment, with Tyson Stengle out of action, Brad Close both struggling for form and battling an ankle injury, while Gryan Miers will be managing his unusual knee injury for the rest of the year. Wiltshire did his chances of his ninth match no harm with three goals.
GEELONG 4.1 8.3 10.11 15.15 (105)
GOLD COAST 3.1 3.5 5.9 8.12 (60)
GOALS
Geelong: Cameron 3, Wiltshire 3, Neale 2, Dempsey 2, O.Henry 2, Atkins, Dangerfield, Holmes
Gold Coast: King 3, Walter, Lombard, Petracca, Rowell, Z.Uwland
BEST
Geelong: Smith, Holmes, Dempsey, Humphries, Dangerfield, Mullin
Gold Coast: Anderson, Noble, Rioli, Rowell, Collins
INJURIES
Geelong: Nil
Gold Coast: Nil
LATE CHANGES
Geelong: Jack Bowes (hamstring tightness), replaced in the selected side by George Stevens
Gold Coast: Nil
Crowd: 30,276 at GMHBA Stadium