AFL Geelong v Collingwood: How Patrick Dangerfield and out-of-form Cats responded to turn game

Patrick Dangerfield was the headline act. However, even he was battling early on in the match. But the skipper and several out-of-form Cats stood up when it mattered most in Geelong’s comeback.

There were several Cats who came into this clash down on form – none more so than Ollie Henry.

While the evergreen Patrick Dangerfield was the headline act, Geelong’s lesser lights and out of form players also stood up when it mattered most as the Cats stormed home to win an after-the-siren epic.

Collingwood appeared to have the game in their control until the third quarter, when the Cats turned a 20-point deficit into a 17-point lead before a desperate effort from the Pies in the dying minutes.

Dangerfield once again put the Cats on his back with a matchwinning performance, but at one stage during the second term he had one effective disposal, five clangers and -2 SuperCoach points..

The inspirational captain finished with 29 disposals, 17 contested possessions, a goal and 132 SuperCoach points.

You would say he wound back the clock in the final quarter, where he was enormous with 13 disposals, 10 contested possessions and five score involvements, but the Danger of old has never left.

Patrick Dangerfield was the matchwinniner — again. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Is is incredible what Dangerfield continues to do at 35-years-of-age, and he is still one of the Cats’ most important players as he approaches game 350 in a month’s time.

But in a Cats side with seven players who had played 50 games or less, there were other telling contributions on the big stage that will fill those individuals and the team with confidence.

Rising Star Ollie Dempsey hadn’t reached the heights of his outstanding 2024 campaign. But he was exciting from start to finish against the Magpies.

He began his outing by using Steele Sidebottom as a stepladder to haul in a miraculous specck and kick his first, and finished it with a crucial goal in the last.

Ollie Dempsey flies high to take a screamer. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

OLLIE DEMPSEY SAT ON HIS HEAD 😮@VirginAustralia | #AFLPiesCatspic.twitter.com/5aqjmeTCDF

— AFL (@AFL) May 3, 2025

Coming off a career-best 2024 campaign, Jack Bowes had been quiet to start the year despite a strong pre-season.

The tough utility put the Cats in front by three goals with a snap in the final quarter and was immense in the contest in the last term with 10 disposals and seven contested possessions.

Then there is one of the most defining six-disposal games you will see from Henry – especially considering the scoreline.

After 78 goals in his first two seasons at Geelong, Henry started his seventh game of 2025 as the substitute against Carlton last week.

How about that for a hit to the ego.

Henry booted three goals against Fremantle in round one, but battled in his next five matches, failing to eclipse 10 touches in any of them and kicking just two goals.

But when the big moments came against his former side, he came up clutch.

A leaping contested mark nearly set up a goal for Jeremy Cameron on the stroke of quarter time.

Then he split the middle with a drop punt from the boundary and raised two arms to the raucous Collingwood faithful as he broke a run of five consecutive goals.

Ollie Henry’s celebration after his slot from the boundary. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

His best moment came late in the piece, putting Geelong in front for the first time.

Henry leapt for a marking contest and then bounced up like Cat to gather an errant Darcy Moore kick and snap it through.

Ollie Henry puts the Cats in front 🍿#AFLPiesCatspic.twitter.com/gpbkRRMTRE

— AFL (@AFL) May 3, 2025

“Wth the time to reassess, we probably haven’t been maximising his strengths as much as we have in the past, and we like him being our focal point inside our forward half,” Chris Scott said post-game.

“I wouldn’t read too much into him being the sub last week. We do think in great detail about how we manage our list, and that’s one of the levers you have in multiple six day breaks - it’s not a reflection of where he sits within our team.

“But being targeted a little bit more, he’s a dangerous player, and we thought he was important.”

Reigning Carji Greeves medallist Max Holmes had been unable to have his usual gamebreaking impact since his inspired effort against Adelaide at Gather Round.

His six touches in the final quarter might not appear that damaging, but everything he touched seemed to turn to gold as he spurred the Cats forward.

Oisin Mullin was given the impossible task of stopping Nick Daicos. Despite the Irishman’s speed, Daicos was able to blitz past him to get separation at stoppages and amass 25 disposals, five clearances and a goal to three-quarter-time.

But the athletic stopper restricted the superstar to just three touches in the final term, with Daicos’ frustration getting the better of him at one point as he handed Mullin a 50 metre penalty.

Oisin Mullin had the difficult job of quelling Nick Daicos’ influence. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Even second-gamer Oli Wiltshire, who was subbed out of his debut game against Carlton last week, was able to show the glimpses that got him into the side — his first goal formed part of the Cats’ charge.

Earlier on, another unheralded Irish Cat Mark O’Connor kept his side with some important intercept marks while playing on the dangerous Jordan De Goey, who had just nine touches for the match.

Shannon Neale had just the four disposals last Sunday. The key forwrward had three contested marks and a goal by quarter time as he took a step in the right direction.

Overall, the win is an unbelievable result considering the game looked over.

The Cats managed to turn the tide with defensive general Tom Stewart sidelined, Rhys Stanley subbed out at quarter time, and their midfield getting annihilated — they lost 10 of the first 11 centre clearances.

If performances like in front of 82,000 fans are anything to go by, Geelong will have no trouble luring another midfield star to the Cattery – just like Bailey Smith, who produced another scintillating display.

Originally published as AFL Geelong v Collingwood: How Patrick Dangerfield and out-of-form Cats responded to turn game