Geelong Cats Enter AFLW Finals on an 11-1 Run
Geelong opens the 2026 NAB AFLW Finals Series against Melbourne on Saturday, 7 November, at Princes Park. The Cats finished the regular season 11 wins and one loss, and they are the highest-scoring regular-season team in AFLW history, ABC News reported on Monday.
The Cats finished second on percentage, a ratio of points scored to points conceded, behind North Melbourne. That gap is the difference between finishing top of the ladder and not, and it decides who hosts the finals. The highest-ranked club hosts the Grand Final, which is set for Friday, 27 November, according to the AFL.
Home ground Kardinia Park was booked for a dirt bike event, so the match moved to Princes Park. Geelong's coach, former Melbourne mentor Mick Stinear, will lead the Cats against his old club for the first time in a final.
Captain Nina Morrison, who is co-captain, will play her 75th game in that match. Morrison has won a Geelong best and fairest award and has been named in the All-Australian squad, the wider group of players in contention for the national team. Geelong's club site has also traced her rise from its number one draft pick, Geelong Cats.
Morrison spoke to reporters ahead of the milestone. She said the club had been disappointed with its performance over the last couple of seasons. She also said this year's form did not come out of nowhere, Geelong Cats.
The engine room has been busy too. Georgie Prespakis, 23, was runner-up in the 2025 best and fairest. This season she averaged 30.6 disposals (kicks plus handballs), 8.1 clearances (winning the ball from a stoppage) and eight score involvements (touches that lead directly to a goal), per the ABC.
Geelong also has a stake beyond Saturday. The $1 million McClelland Trophy race has six clubs still in it, and Geelong sits on top with 31 points. Sydney has 29, two behind. Melbourne, Carlton and Hawthorn each have 26.
Geelong and Melbourne kick off the finals, so the first bounce of the series falls to them. For Geelong, the test is simple: keep the scoring that made the regular season so loud, and win the contests that decide the close ones.
