Geelong legend Cameron Mooney knows the club’s rivalry with Collingwood better than most.
Mooney played in several of the clubs’ great battles that have made for some of the biggest games of the modern era including multiple finals.
Prelims in 2007, 2009 and 2010.
The 2011 decider.
More recently, qualifying finals in 2019 and 2022.
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And on Saturday night they add another chapter after last year’s epic encounter was decided by a Jack Crisp miss after the siren.
“The Geelong-Collingwood games have always been big games even though they’re not traditional rivals,” Mooney told foxfooty.com.au.
“They just always seem to be big games. There’s big stakes and big crowds, it’s going to be a massive game for both teams.
“Because you feel like the winner could springboard. And the loser you’ve got more question marks about.”
Cameron Mooney played in several great battles between Geelong and Collingwood.Source: News Limited
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Mooney said the Cats “genuinely loved playing” Collingwood given they were always big games played in front huge crowds with “electricity in the air.”
And while it was a dominant era for Geelong, Mooney conceded they were “lucky” to win the 2007 prelim ahead of the club’s drought-breaking flag that kickstarted a golden run.
“It didn’t matter where they sat, they always came ready to play against us,” he said.
“I actually found we had probably more trouble with Collingwood through that period than most teams.
“They’ve always given us some of the best games and we’ve met so many times in big finals.”
The stakes are again high on Saturday night. You’d probably say Collingwood has more to gain and Geelong has more to lose.
The Pies can take a real scalp and have claim of being a stealth contender in a year Craig McRae’s troops have been widely written off.
Meanwhile the Cats, coming off a grand final appearance, can restore some of their credentials in what’s been a patchy start to 2026.
Some key figures will decide which way it falls …
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BAZLENKA… 12 MONTHS ON FROM CHEEKY DIG
After Geelong’s win over Collingwood this time last year, Bailey Smith sensationally gave a drive-by to his former club, Western Bulldogs, in an interview with Mooney on Fox Footy.
“Beautiful mate. Not getting that at Ballarat,” Smith told Mooney in a cheeky reference to crowds at Bulldogs games compared to the 82,000 packed house at the MCG.
They were comments that raised a few eyebrows in a season Smith landed himself in hot water a few times for his quirky antics that at times crossed the line.
We don’t need to rehash them.
While Mooney said there were a couple or incidents he “wouldn’t be too happy about” if he was still playing for Geelong, he thinks the Smith has been able to rein it in.
And the Cats great applauded Smith for backing up his brilliant 2025 season in another stellar campaign to date. The star midfielder has averaged 31.2 disposals, 4.6 tackles seven inside 50s and 5.5 clearances.
“I genuinely think he’s been unbelievable for the club. On field he’s been an absolute A-plus tick,” Mooney said.
“You just watch how hard he runs. He sits on the podium from what I’ve seen for players who bust their arse on the football field.
“I love Bailey Smith. There’s a couple of things here and there, but the club has dealt with them and I don’t think we’ve seen too much this year.
“He’s kept out of the spotlight and just let his footy do the talking and he’s talking pretty loud when it comes to that.”
Smith is having another great season (Picture: Michael Klein)Source: News Corp Australia
Smith’s most viral moment so far in 2026 was a powerful and emotional message in support of Elijah Hollands and the Dawson family last month including a call for a men’s health round.
“That was awesome,” Mooney said.
“(Smith) is someone that’s been through it and someone who’s passionate about it.
“He had a forum to say: ‘Hey, let’s just keep looking after ourselves and looking after each other’.
“I thought it was pretty powerful and I thought good on him for doing that, I liked it. He didn’t do it in a disrespectful or silly way, he was just very passionate about something and I thought it was fantastic.”
MULLIN’S LOCKDOWN ROLE ON DAICOS
Cats tagger Oisin Mullin has taken some big scalps over the last 12 months in developing a reputation as the best stopper in the game.
That’s included blanketing the likes of Izak Rankine (seven disposals), Marcus Bontempelli (14 disposals) and Harry Sheezel (20 disposals) for season-low returns in 2026.
The Irishman will this week have his sights set on arguably the best player in the competition Nick Daicos, in what stands as a key matchup.
Daicos has been near unstoppable so far in 2026.
The Pies superstar is ranked first in the AFL in disposals (36.6 per game), metres gained (697) inside 50s (8.3), third in score involvements (8.5) and fourth in effective disposals (24.2) as the Brownlow Medal favourites.
This time last year, Mullin held Daicos to just three of his 28 disposals in the final term to help Geelong secure the three-point victory. So you can bet his going to him again.
Oisin Mullin is set to again be charged with a tagging job on Nick Daicos (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Ironically, Mullin was dubbed the Nick Daicos of Gaelic footy before he moved to Australia.
So what does Mullin do that sets him apart from other taggers?
Cats insiders say he’s “super quick and super strong” and “a man who knows a role”.
“This is what I love about taggers. Sometimes clubs go: ‘Here’s your role. If you do this well for us, week in, week out, you will play 150-20 games’,” Mooney continued.
“It’s one of the hardest roles in the game playing on the absolute elite midfielders in our game. This week is probably the hardest job.
“Mullin does it well because he works his backside off and doesn’t try and do anything other than his job and it’s a very simple role for him; stop the opposition player as best you can.
“He gets bashed about and knocked around, but he is seriously tough and a seriously strong human. He’s a great prototype for what Geelong want.
“He’s over here now trying to stop the best player in the comp.”
FORGET THE FUTURE: WHY WE NEED TO APPRECIATE PENDLES NOW
There’s been plenty of talk around Scott Pendlebury in recent times as the champ prepares to equal Brent Harvey’s AFL games record on Saturday night.
The Pies still lean heavily on the 38-year old including missing his midfield presence last week against Hawthorn when they got belted at clearance.
Pendlebury’s longevity and consistent excellent over a sustained period is unrivalled in shades of what the 41-year old LeBron James is still doing in the NBA.
Of course, the Pies legend was part of those blockbuster battles against Mooney’s Cats all those years ago.
And as Pendlebury prepares to make history, Mooney doesn’t see why he can’t keep playing in 2027.
Scott Pendlebury is closing in on the AFL games record (Photo by Craig Dooley/AFL Photos via Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Though for now, the Geelong champion is simply enjoying the show.
“I wouldn’t say it’s his last year and I don’t know why anyone would even be talking about it until the end of the year. It’s something that just doesn’t need to be spoken about now,” he said.
“Let’s just watch a genuine superstar go about his business in the twilight of his career. He’s not limping to the line.
“Unless he falls off a cliff by the end of the season, which could happen. But I think we’ve been saying that for the last three or four years, and it just doesn’t happen.
“If he’s playing good footy and he thinks he can go again and Collingwood thinks there’s a spot for him, there’s absolutely no reason why he couldn’t go ahead. But let’s just wait until the end of the year.”
Arguably no club has done a better job at exiting its champions and transitioning its list in the modern era than Geelong.
It’s something Collingwood will try and emulate with club greats Pendlebury, Steele Sidebottom and Jeremy Howe in their twilight years.
Mooney said it’s a “delicate” balance and acknowledged some Cats legends “didn’t want to retire” when they were told their time was up and “weren’t happy.”
He said it’s “more on the player” than the club to “look in the mirror” and “be honest with themselves”.
“We all get to the end and we want to go an extra year, we want to keep going. When you’re playing, you don’t think it’s going to end, particularly when you’re an established player,” the triple premiership player added.
“If it gets to the point when the club doesn’t think they can, well, he has to accept that and not get the s***s with the club. Particularly if you’ve played 200, 300-plus games, they’ve given you a fair life.
“It does come to an end. The one thing that’s not beaten is Father Time.”