Geelong looks to shrug off a week of controversy as it hosts Essendon at Kardinia Park, while Sydney attempts to cement a top-two spot on the ladder with win over Port Adelaide at the SCG.
Earlier on Saturday, A huge final quarter from Harry Petty helped Melbourne claim a four-point win over the AFL’s ladder-leaders Fremantle.
Petty kicked 3.2 for the afternoon, including two in the final quarter as Melbourne emerged 17.11 (113) to 17.7 (109) winners in one of the games of the season at the MCG.
Prior to the action on Saturday, AFL boss Andrew Dillon addressed Geelong’s concussion saga, ending a couple of days of silence from the league.
In Saturday’s final match, Adelaide hosts Richmond at the Adelaide Oval from 7:35pm.
Follow all the action in our live blog.
Sat 8 Aug 2026 at 1:02pm
Sat 8 Aug 2026 at 1:02pm
AFL Saturday live scoreboardSat 8 Aug 2026 at 4:40pm
Sat 8 Aug 2026 at 4:40pmSat 8 Aug 2026 at 4:40pm
Logan McDonald answers for Sydney
This game is stepping up at the SCG.
The Swans had the ball inside D50, but a quick handball set the play free, and 10-15 seconds later Logan McDonald was marking inside 50.
The Western Australian has been good recently, and he converted the set shot to get Sydney to within a point, with four minutes on the clock.
Sat 8 Aug 2026 at 4:38pm
Sat 8 Aug 2026 at 4:38pm
Whitlock extends Port Adelaide’s margin
Port Adelaide are winning the clearances, and that makes a difference at the SCG.
They got one in the centre and a deep kick inside 50 was clunked by Jack Whitlock, to the crowd’s displeasure.
Whitlock kicked it, and the Power are back out to seven points.
Sat 8 Aug 2026 at 4:37pm
Sat 8 Aug 2026 at 4:37pm
A look back at the thrilling finale to Melbourne’s win over Fremantle
If you missed the first clash of the day, here’s how the last two minutes ended up.
Sat 8 Aug 2026 at 4:35pm
Sat 8 Aug 2026 at 4:35pm
Play underway between Geelong and Essendon
Vigo Visentini and Sam De Koning in at the first ruck contest of this one.
An interesting tweak from Geelong coach Chris Scott as well as Tom Stewart starts at the centre bounce.
Sat 8 Aug 2026 at 4:35pm
Sat 8 Aug 2026 at 4:35pm
Swans steady through Warner
There’s a bit going on at the SCG …
The Swans won a scrabbly ball at half-forward, and rushed it inside 50, for Chad Warner to mark in the right forward pocket on the Hornet – and Warner gave Horne-Francis a bit of a backhander to get him to stop grabbing him.
The kick was good, and the Swans are back to a point near time on in the opening term.
Sat 8 Aug 2026 at 4:32pm
Sat 8 Aug 2026 at 4:32pm
Port Adelaide kick back-to-back goals
Well, that’s more like it from the Power!
First a kick inside 50 fell short of the goalsquare, and it ended up in the hands of Tom Anastasopoulos, who snapped his first goal in AFL.
Then the Swans were under pressure in D50, and a poor scrubbed kick found Port, who found Jason Horne-Francis, and the Hornet curled it home from 45.
The SCG crowd is quiet, and the Power are ahead!
Sat 8 Aug 2026 at 4:32pm
Sat 8 Aug 2026 at 4:32pm
Is the AFL’s response to the concussion saga satisfactory?
The statements coming out from the AFL hierarchy are just waffle. Geelong should have known full well that asking a player to waive his rights is just not on morally and in fact almost certainly illegal under workplace safety laws. Heads have to roll imho.
– Phillip
I wholeheartedly agree with you Phillip.
Honestly, the way this AFL administration has dealt with big issues under Andrew Dillon has been appalling, this is the latest in a long line of those.
I can’t see how those involved are dishing up apologies and thinking that’ll be enough.
The integrity of the entire league has been compromised big-time.
Sat 8 Aug 2026 at 4:30pm
Sat 8 Aug 2026 at 4:30pm
Recent results between Geelong and EssendonR22, 2025: Geelong by 44 (Kardinia Park)R14, 2025: Geelong by 95 (MCG)R16, 2024: Geelong by 45 (MCG)R18, 2023: Geelong by 77 (Kardinia Park)R7, 2023: Geelong by 28 (MCG)R1, 2022: Geelong by 66 (MCG)
It’s not hard to see that this is a fairly one-sided matchup in recent times. The Cats have won the last six encounters, in fact they habe won the last nine in a row, and 15 of the last 17 and 21 of the last 24 games dating back to 2006.
To be fair, most games between Geelong and Essendon have been played at the MCG or Docklands — but regardless, the last time the Bombers have won at Kardinia Park was a two-point victory back in round 18, 1990.
Essendon went on to lose the grand final to Collingwood that year.
Sat 8 Aug 2026 at 4:29pm
Sat 8 Aug 2026 at 4:29pm
Jake Lloyd puts Sydney on the board
It was almost inevitable, wasn’t it?
Port Adelaide’s failure to convert their forward entries was always going to be answered.
And it came from an unusual source. Port Adelaide tried to clear, but the ball fell to debutant Will Green, and the big ruckman showed deft kicking to set up Jake Lloyd inside 50.
The crowd went up for him, and Lloyd made use of his chance, kicking the opening goal.
Sat 8 Aug 2026 at 4:25pm
Sat 8 Aug 2026 at 4:25pm
Port Adelaide not converting early
The visitors have kicked a couple of behinds, and they had another chance with Jack Whitlock marking on the left side of 50. But his kick drifted across and was marked deep by Nick Blakey.
The Power have had six inside 50s, but no goals yet.
Sat 8 Aug 2026 at 4:23pm
Sat 8 Aug 2026 at 4:23pm
Will the concussion drama impact the Cats this afternoon?
This game is almost a bit of a sideshow to what’s going on at Geelong right now.
Cats legend Tom Hawkins doesn’t believe that the concussion drama will impact them on the field.
“I don’t think so. I think they’ll really be looking forward to actually getting out on the field in an environment where they do their best work,” he says on Fox Footy.
“I think they they would’ve been rallying behind Jake Kolodjashnij. It’s been a big week.”
Sat 8 Aug 2026 at 4:22pm
Sat 8 Aug 2026 at 4:22pm
Mitch Zadow miss opens the scoring
That was a funny passage of play, the Power got it in the middle and broke free, before a high, tumbling kick found Mitch Zadow inside 50.
Zadow went back from left of the goals, but his kick never came back and went through for the opening point.
Sat 8 Aug 2026 at 4:19pm
Sat 8 Aug 2026 at 4:19pm
Scrappy start for Swans vs Power
It’s been a scrappy old start in Sydney. It’s a lovely late afternoon with plenty of sun, but that of course means there are shadows all over the SCG.
Not sure that is contributing to the error count early doors, but both sides are struggling to hit targets.
Sat 8 Aug 2026 at 4:19pm
Sat 8 Aug 2026 at 4:19pm
Petty shows some love to Voss after his return taunt
It appears it’s all love between Harry Petty and Pat Voss after their banter earlier in the season.
Sat 8 Aug 2026 at 4:15pm
Sat 8 Aug 2026 at 4:15pm
We are underway at the SCG
Sydney coach Dean Cox says they will send Jai Serong to Jason Horne-Francis – that’s a serious challenge for the defender.
In the absence of Mitch Georgiades, if the Swans can shut down the Hornet, that would go a long way towards controlling the game.
But let’s see what happens! We’re go at the SCG!
Sat 8 Aug 2026 at 4:12pm
Sat 8 Aug 2026 at 4:12pm
Melbourne continues to surprise everyone this season
I really did not think Melbourne capable of this against Fremantle !
– Phillip
I don’t think you were alone in thinking this Phillip!
The Dees are tied on premiership points with the Lions. Absolutely NO ONE would’ve thought that would be possible 22 rounds into the season.
Sat 8 Aug 2026 at 4:11pm
Sat 8 Aug 2026 at 4:11pm
A look at the final numbers from Melbourne’s win at the MCG
Here’s a look at the main team stats after that one:
Disposals: Melbourne 323-321Inside 50s: Melbourne 56-51Clearances: Fremantle 43-32Centre Clearances: Tied 17-allContested Possessions: Melbourne 138-113Intercepts: Melbourne 60-46Marks: Fremantle 91-67Marks in Forward 50: Fremantle 15-14Tackles: Melbourne 68-59Tackles in Forward 50: Melbourne 16-6Sat 8 Aug 2026 at 4:11pm
Sat 8 Aug 2026 at 4:11pm
Recent results between Sydney and Port AdelaideR14, 2026: Sydney by 3 (Adelaide Oval)R15, 2025: Sydney by 19 (Adelaide Oval)R6, 2025: Port Adelaide by 8 (SCG)PF, 2024: Sydney by 36 (SCG)R21, 2024: Port Adelaide by 112 (Adelaide Oval)R3, 2023: Port Adelaide by 2 (SCG)
Fair to say we’ve had a range of results here lately. It’s Swans 3, Power 3 in the last six, but that’s a verry literal interpretation of things.
We’ve also had everything from two and three point margins to that 112-point shellacking for Sydney at Adelaide Oval a couple of years back.
Just to make things suitably obscure, the Swans have won the last two in the City of Churches, while Port Adelaide took the points the last time these two teams played at the SCG last year. Who knows what will happen here.
Sat 8 Aug 2026 at 4:09pm
Sat 8 Aug 2026 at 4:09pm
Geelong vs Essendon team news — No late changes
Geelong and Essendon’s team line-ups. (AFL.com.au)
Both Geelong and Essendon are lining up as originally selected this afternoon at Kardinia Park.
It’s a simple shift for Geelong — Mitchell Edwards is managed, and Sam De Koning comes in.
For the Bombers, as always this season, it’s a little more complicated.
Angus Clarke is in concussion protocols, and Nick Bryan is injured, while Harrison Jones has been omitted.
Into the side come Jye Caldwell, Archie Perkins and Vigo Visentini.
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