AFL round 13: Josh Barnes analyses Geelong’s win over Gold Coast Suns

It was billed as a Brownlow battle between Noah Anderson and Bailey Smith. But Smith was a late out and Anderson blanketed, allowing Max Holmes to show he’s joined the AFL’s elite.

It was billed as a Brownlow Battle in Geelong.

Instead, another shrewd Chris Scott surprise meant Noah Anderson was blanketed out of any votes as Bailey Smith watched on as Max Holmes galloped past them all.

A murmur went around GMHBA Stadium when Smith pulled out on the eve of the match with a tight hamstring but it mattered little to the Cats as they bruised the Suns in a 24-point win.

It was a win that cemented Geelong’s top-four credentials and raised another question mark about how genuine Gold Coast is in the premiership race.

And it was a win that began in a tactical tussle between superstar coaches Chris Scott and Damien Hardwick.

Having used one Irishman in Oisin Mullin to good effect as a tagger this year, Scott’s first surprise was going to a different one and handing the job of curbing a red-hot Noah Anderson to Mark O’Connor.

Anderson had 42 touches and booted two goals in a rout of Geelong in Darwin last year and the Cats refused to get beaten that way again.

In 46 minutes on the Suns skipper in the first half, O’Connor had nine disposals to Anderson’s four.

By the end of the night, in 82 minutes next to each other, the superb O’Connor won the disposal count 16-10.

There will be no round 13 votes for N. Anderson on the Monday before the grand final and there will be none for B. Smith either.

Anderson’s fellow betting favourite for the Brownlow, Smith dressed for the game and went through a fitness test on his sore right hamstring before pulling out of the match.

He was then dressed for a quick ski trip to Aspen as he watched the game in a thick jacket to ward off the Geelong frost from the stands.

Stengle as straight as an arrow 🏹#AFLCatsSunspic.twitter.com/znN1cH32ow

— AFL (@AFL) June 7, 2025

Max Holmes charges clear of Matt Rowell during Geelong’s victory.

Anderson ended his night in the arms of the trainers after a brutal bump to the ribs from Cats ace Tom Stewart.

“(I hope) first and foremost that he’s OK. But anytime there’s head impact you can’t help but think the player that bumps has got (something to) answer,” Cats great Tom Hawkins said on Fox Footy.

The Suns skipper had a SCAT test at the ground and later left Kardinia Park for scans on his ribs.

Anderson was cleared of concussion.

Never destined for the dole queue, Mullin did have a job, sent to manage Touk Miller for most of the night.

The best influence Miller had on the game was his pulled-up baby pink socks, with the hard worker limited to 20 disposals.

Scott’s this midfield trick was to pull Smith’s running mate Holmes off the back of the many, many around the ground stoppages through the night.

Holmes was able to run free around the contest and was clearly the biggest driving force in the game, as he racked up a career-best 40 disposals.

Holmes has likely not played a better match in 88 previous matches, and when he gets the chance to run and chew up metres like a midfield Pac Man he is among the very best onballers in the game.

With Anderson quelled, Tom Atkins was every bit as good in the clinches as Matt Rowell and Gryan Miers continued his superb form as one of footy’s great midfield linkers.

Tom Stewart bump on Noah Anderson

In a game where few forwards had a say, Tyson Stengle’s return to form with four majors was another difference maker.

The Cats will monitor the ankle of big man Shannon Neale before a meeting with Essendon next week, with Neale subbed off in the second term.

The coaching arm wrestle wasn’t all one way, as Hardwick manufactured a second-quarter surge by evening up the numbers ahead of the ball, but his team was well beaten around that 15-minute patch.

This year the Cats are doing as the Cats do, quietly piling up wins, with a favourable draw to come.

As the name suggests, there is only room for a certain amount in the top four, and Geelong should be heading for another double chance.

Right now the Suns are out of the four, and despite also having a good run home, failed a test of toughness and smarts in Geelong.

Originally published as AFL round 13: Josh Barnes analyses Geelong’s win over Gold Coast Suns