AFL Supercoach 2026: Geelong Cats 2026 Squad Analysis

Geelong will be looking to go one better in 2026, after falling at the final hurdle in last year’s decider against Brisbane. 

Coach Chris Scott has once more assembled a star-studded list ready to contend for footy’s ultimate prize, bolstered by the inclusion of ex-Hawk James Worpel in the midfield.

Worpel will complement the likes of Max Holmes, Bailey Smith and Tom Atkins in the on-ball rotation, kicking it to a powerhouse forward line featuring Jeremy Cameron and Tyson Stengle.

Veterans Mitch Duncan and Cam Guthrie have retired, but the core of Geelong’s list remains in tact, including their dour defence.

Let’s take a look at the Cats’ SuperCoach prospects for the upcoming season.

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Predicted Round 1 starting team

FB: Jack Henry, Sam De Koning, Zach Guthrie

HB: Tom Stewart, Connor O’Sullivan, Lawson Huphries

C: Oliver Dempsey, Tom Atkins, Gryan Miers
HF: Shaun Mannagh, Jeremy Cameron, Brad Close

FF: Tyson Stengle, Shannon Neale, Patrick Dangerfield

FOLL: Mark Blicavs, Bailey Smith, Max Holmes
I/C: James Worpel, Mark O’Connor, Jack Bowes, Tanner Bruhn, Jack Martin

Analysis: Competition for places in this side will be fierce again in 2026. Mark Blicavs is the most versatile player in the competition, but veteran Rhys Stanley could start in the ruck as well. Worpel adds some grunt to the midfield, while several youngsters will be hoping to stake their claims for early season games with strong summers. The likes of Jhye Clark, Mitch Knevitt, George Stevens, Ollie Henry as well as Oisin Mullin and Jake Kolodjashnij are some of the names on the fringes. 

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Fixtures

Round 1: Fremantle (H)

Round 2: Bye

Round 3: Adelaide (H)

Round 4: Hawthorn (A)

Round 5: West Coast (H)

Byes: Round 2 & 16

Verdict: A pretty tough start to the year for Geelong, who begin proceedings with a clash against the Suns in Opening Round too. The Cats’ fixture really opens up late in the year, from round 19 onwards, which could be SuperCoach gold. In that period, which coincides with SuperCoach Finals, the Cats take on St Kilda, Melbourne, Collingwood, Essendon, North Melbourne and Richmond. The round 2 bye makes it tricky to start any heavy-hitters though and they share the round 16 break with the Bulldogs, Saints and Demons. 

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LOCK

Here’s a fun fact, at the time of writing, Geelong’s highest owned player is Bailey Smith ($638,300 MID), who is in just 6.5 per cent of teams. That tells a story, you should probably be looking elsewhere for your SuperCoach sides despite Geelong’s dominance.

Smith starred in his first season in Geelong colours, averaging 118 points per game. He’ll likely score quite well again and given his ability to score in transition, the new stoppage rules shouldn’t impact him as much as they might other midfielders. 

POINT OF DIFFERENCE

As mentioned above, any Geelong player you select will be a point of difference. Smith’s midfield teammate, Max Holmes ($600,000 MID) would be a nice differential play, but like Smith, has also lost his dual position status. Last year Holmes churned out 14 scores of 100+ on his way to an average of 110.9 points per game which means you are paying top dollar for the star Cat.

Having said that, since his debut in 2021 Holmes has incrementally increased his SuperCoach average every year, meaning another 110+ season is well and truly on the cards. Elsewhere, midfielder Tanner Bruhn ($276,800 MID) is in just over five per cent of teams, but I think I’d rather find an extra $100k to get up to a more proven midfield mid-pricer. 

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CHEAPIES

I’d be surprised if any Geelong cheapies presented themselves as serious SuperCoach options to begin the year, but Jhye Clark ($178,000 MID) was a talented junior and has now spent a couple of years with the AFL program. Clark grew up an inside midfielder but has spent some time training as a defender and as a winger over summer. There’s plenty of other cheapie options though at the time of writing so I would probably look elsewhere.