Evert game during the 2025 AFL Finals, Mongrel writers assess the performance of players. This feeds into our 2025 Mongrel Player of the Finals Award.
Here are the ratings from the Geelong-Brisbane Qualifying Final, courtesy of Matt Parnell and Max Ford.
Geelong (Matt Parnell)
[39] Zach Guthrie – 6
This is where I get to talk about it, right? What a decision. What a moment. Say what you want about O’Connor’s decision to lead with the elbow, or Rayner’s decision to embellish, you can’t say that Guthrie’s decision to cap off a three goal swing was the smartest thing he’ll ever do. Sure, hindsight is 20/20 and the Cats won comfortably, but the moment where a possible Cats goal to put them to twice Brisbane’s score turned into two Brisbane goals made this game uncomfortably spicy but also gave it all its character. Also he played a fine if unimpressive game other than that. Loses points for the shove.
[38] Jack Henry – 7
Jack Henry didn’t have heaps to do, but when he was called upon to do his true defensive duties looked a bit shaky. Nodded a ball along for Charlie Cameron’s first, was principally charged with keeping Logan Morris quiet, and got forward enough in a quiet period to get himself on the scoreboard with a rare behind. Hard to judge him for his defensive efforts in a game that didn’t ask that much of him.
[14] Connor O’Sullivan – 8
Connor O’Sullivan looks like he knew what this game was early, and his work as an intercepter/rebound initiator in the first quarter was the backbone of a lot of the pressure that the subsequently mentioned small/medium forward/midfield tackle gang built their game on, and as such, was responsible for getting the ball where it needed to be for the game plan to work. Is that directly attributable to him? Probably not. Does he get points because the game plan works? Sure.
[17] Lawson Humphries – 7
This wasn’t Lawson Humphries’ game. Not because he played badly, but because it wasn’t a game for the type of player Lawson Humphries is. No need for a ruthless transition player when you’ve got someone like Tom Stewart banging the ball out, or Max Holmes being afforded the time to drop deep. Did what he could in limited opportunities, but this isn’t the game for him to have his customary impact.
[44] Tom Stewart – 8
There was a particularly pernicious section of the game where Brisbane looked like they were a half chance to get back into it, and this is before all those free kicks happened. The Cats looked scattered, they couldn’t clear their lines, and the only reason Brisbane didn’t capitalise is because Tom Stewart brought the magnets in his hands that rendered Brisbane unable to get within striking distance. And he kicked a goal. And did the Tom Stewart thing for the rest of the game.
[34] Oisin Mullin – 8
The highlight of Oisin Mullin’s game was his goal. The lowlight is the fact that that goal will be in every highlight reel created and published of this game, and the fact that he was principally responsible for keeping All-Australian Hugh McCluggage to just 4 kicks won’t. That’s a headline-grabbing performance for blokes who appreciate the small things.
[46] Mark Blicavs – 8
Kicked a wonderful goal, racked up 20 touches, played a better all-round game than Darcy Fort. For reference, Fort had double the hitouts but recorded 0 inside 50s to Blicavs’ 4, 4 score involvements to Blicavs’ 9, and 4 clearances to Blicavs’ 6. An above par performance in a team where par is still really good.
[9] Max Holmes – 9
Max Holmes is really good at football. 630 metres gained from 12 kicks and 11 handballs, which suggests to me a freakishly long average kick, five marks, six tackles, and a goal. An all-round elite performance that really broke the game open in the third. Similar to Ollie Dempsey, you watch Holmes and you think that wow they’re gonna do it again these Cats. A player whose bad finals luck looks like it might be past him!
[28] Oliver Dempsey – 10
It’s kinda horrible how good Ollie Dempsey is. You watch Geelong and you know the joke (old) and you think yeah mad, no worries they literally can’t keep getting away with it. And then they get 22 year old Ollie Dempsey, who kicks three- including a volley that got me off my feet- and led his team in touches. Bastards. Ollie Dempsey is indicative of the fact that they’re going to keep getting away with it.
[45] Brad Close – 7
Could’ve been fooled into thinking he wasn’t playing until he kicked a goal at the death. The least productive of the Cats roaming gang of small/medium midfielder/forwards with brown/black hair, playing a team role and providing pressure but- similar to Miers- getting little of the individual glory.
[7] Shaun Mannagh – 8
Similar game to Close, Miers, etc. Made heaps of tackles (and nine is heaps, to be fair), pressed the Brisbane midfield into early nonexistence, played an important role in setting the tone early. Helped in the territory game. Gets more points for the nine tackles and his intent to kick rather than handball.
[18] Tyson Stengle – 6
Weird game. Didn’t get on the scoreboard except for a miss he should’ve nailed at the end, didn’t look likely except for the shot he was lining up that was interrupted by the O’Connor hit on Rayner, still found time for five inside 50s from his 11 touches. Did a bit with not much but really should’ve kicked that goal, and the other pressure boys ate his lunch in that regard.
[33] Shannon Neale – 6
He was certainly there. Big fella throwing his body around, can’t say he didn’t kick a goal, but was among the Cats worst simply because he didn’t provide the same goal threat when the match was kinda crying out for one. No shame in that. Someone’s gotta be among worst on in an excellent team performance, and it’s the bloke with six touches. Did more than Logan Morris though, so you’ve gotta give him that.
[5] Jeremy Cameron – 7
Kinda tempted to dock him points for an inaccurate first quarter, because this game could have been buried by then if not for his atypical inaccuracy. Wouldn’t exactly scream journalistic integrity but it would be funny. 2.3 of their 4.6? C’mon mate. Had 7 of his 13 touches in the first and did feel like he could’ve stood up in the bits where the game felt dicey, but all in all a standard all round Jeremy Cameron performance.
[35] Patrick Dangerfield – 8
Feel like Danger gets legacy points. Did what he needed to do- made a fist of it in the first, could’ve willed himself a goal if he wanted to, didn’t do anything wrong but didn’t necessarily do anything noticeably right. When you’ve played as many games as he has, you get the benefit of the doubt from me that you’re doing it for a reason.
[16] Sam De Koning – 7
Fine? Mistook him for Dempsey a few times, and that rose him in my estimation, but I appreciated his ability to be wherever they wanted him to be. Covers a lot of ground, is a lot of big, did OK in ruck contests where he and Blicavs both got monstered by Fort in the tap if not around the ground.
[3] Bailey Smith – 7
An average game for Bailey Smith, 2025 Geelong Cat, is a good game for most. Saw plenty of the ball, progressed the ball fairly well when he got it, butchered it a couple of times, looked like a turnstile defensively a couple of times as well. On one hand, did plenty. On the other hand, you’d expect him to do more? Tarred with his own brush just a tad.
[30] Tom Atkins – 9
Tom Atkins led the AFL in tackles this season, did you know? More tackles in the H + A season than anyone had recorded in a full season. It’s been done to death. Just the cool 10 for him tonight, to go with 17 touches, 3 clearances, 8 inside 50s and a goal. He’s been playing the kind of close quarters footy that’s built for finals, and if he keeps adding touches to it, who knows where he’ll get.
[42] Mark O’Connor – 6
A quiet game that will, for better or worse, be defined by his hit on Cam Rayner. This wasn’t a big game for key defenders, with Geelong largely dominating both possession and territory, which is reflected in the fact he had as many intercept possessions (2) as inside 50s.
[32] Gryan Miers – 7
Kept popping up in situations, which is something I personally respect a lot in a footballer. Still got his 19 touches, five tackles, added to Geelong’s monstrous tackling pressure in the midfield, but didn’t really have a moment where he made it all about himself. Good team performance in a good team game.
[12] Jack Bowes – 7
Jack Bowes played 19 games this season and scored 14 goals. That’s not a bad return in a team with quality coming out of its ears, but I’ll admit to being surprised when he kicked his goal and surprised again whenever I saw him do anything. Can’t knock him for anything, can’t specifically praise him for anything either.
[19] Jack Martin – 7
I still don’t get it, but similar to what I wrote about Dangerfield, there’s gotta be a reason that a man who knows so much more about football than I do (Chris Scott, in this case) lets Jack Martin go out there and run around. Kicked a goal, had 10 kicks, a tackle, two clearances. Took the crumbs the bigger names left. Didn’t do anything wrong. That’s ok, and today the Cats’ ok is still pretty good.
[13] Jhye Clark [SUB] – N/A
1 kick, 35m gained, 2% time on ground. I can’t in good conscience give him a rating.
Brisbane (Max)
[15] Dayne Zorko: 5
Took a lot of kick ins, thus starting a lot of possession chains. But those chains more often than not came to nothing. Had a couple of soft ground-level efforts throughout to boot, and when his team was in desperate need of a rest courtesy of unrelenting Geelong pressure, he sprayed a kick directly to an opponent in the middle of the ground. Also had a missed snap deep in the last quarter when it looked like Brisbane might just plant some doubt in Cat minds (do cats have minds? I thought they just had egos.) as to the result.
[27] Darcy Gardiner: 7
Was moved onto J Cameron after J Cameron’s red-hot first quarter, and to his immense credit, largely nullified J Cameron from that point onward, with some particularly impressive spoils and marks that Lester, the much-vaunted J Cameron kryptonite, was unable to execute. Didn’t do a lot offensively, but that’s not really his bag. Gave an unfortunate free away to Close deep in the last just to rub a bit of salt into the team result. Can be proud of his individual efforts, at least..
[35] Ryan Lester: 2
I had the thought earlier today that the positive media talk around him would probably jinx him, and that’s how it turned out. He was outmarked five times in the first quarter. Five. Yes, I was counting. He had a couple of offensive contributions under the severe pressure which Geelong applied all day, but this was worlds away from his finals performance against the same mob last year.
[44] Darcy Wilmot: 6
Gave away an overly zealous holding free early on to Martin, which resulted in J Cameron continuing his red-hot start. Thereafter, was busy-ish, but much in the same way that a meth addict with a sledgehammer is busy-ish. Never stopped running and trying to create, but his on-the-edge approach to running with ball in hand was probably of equal detriment as it was of benefit. Can at least say he didn’t shy away from the occasion, and six score involvements is testament to that.
[31] Harris Andrews: 8
He gets an eight despite Shannon Neale’s 1 on 1 ‘win’ (which was a borderline push) that probably broke the Lions’ back. His freakishly long arms were frequently seen killing aerial contests which looked to be to the Geelong player’s advantage, and there were some brilliant marks spliced into his game as well, including a bail-out mark at half-back which gave his under-siege team some respite. Couldn’t have done much more in isolation, and probably has the right to be pissed off at his teammates further up-field.
[37] Brandon Starcevich: 4
Started well, reading the play well on a couple of Cats attacking chains, but his influence faded from that point onward. Was at one point caught holding the ball at half-back, when a handball would’ve released a teammate into oodles of space and probably resulted in a goal. Was often outpointed in the second half; in the air (by Stengle), on the ground (by ‘insert Geelong forward here’), and even by the bounce of the ball.
[6] Hugh McCluggage: 1
Garbage. Absolutely garbage. Was tagged very effectively by Mullin, who I will give full credit to, but when you’re tagged, you’re supposed to at least make an attempt to rise to it. Give some stick to your opponent. Run around trying to make space for yourself. McCluggage did none of these. He seemed to just accept his fate, loping around listlessly, and his team was far worse off for it. 14 touches is an extremely flattering statline for the game he played. Get some bloody fire in your belly, Hugh.
[9] Lachie Neale: 6
Tried hard, but his disposal count is as misleading as McCluggage’s. A lot of his 32 touches were ineffective at best; detrimental at worst. The radar for his left handed flick handballs was wayward tonight, and just to rub salt into the wound, he was frequently outpointed by Geelong counterparts when it came to contested ground balls. He was pantsed particularly humiliatingly by Tom Atkins, who I feel should be tested for caffeine consumption, such was the mania with which he played for all four quarters. Came off with what looked like a calf injury and looks touch and go for next week.
[7] Jarrod Berry: 4
Poor kicking sums up his day. Although he kicked a nice running goal in the second quarter, his distribution as the link between the two halves of the ground was subpar. A significant reason for this was of course Geelong’s defensive set-up, but that doesn’t excuse the rushed kicks which went to Geelong’s advantage. Had the unfortunate honour of snuffing out his team’s chances for good when trying to (unsuccessfully) execute the corridor kick from half-back, as his team did all evening
[23] Charlie Cameron: 0
I’m not sure if we’re allowed to give zeroes out, but if anyone’s game deserves one, it’s this man. After scoring his team’s first, he was absolutely blanketed by Zach Guthrie. Mauled. Destroyed. Reduced to a shell of a man. Was not there front and square when the ball spilled from inside 50 contests, was nowhere to be seen when Geelong rebounders were running it out of their D50 for the umpteenth time. His body language in response to a fourth-quarter disputed ball summed it up; with the ball near the boundary, he just pulled up, and practically turned around before it had even crossed the line. Thoroughly uninterested for the entire game and for his sake, I hope he’d eaten a dodgy Big Breakfast on the morning of.
[14] Sam Day: 2
Tried, but was well-beaten by Geelong’s key defensive unit. Was scoreless with just the one mark, and spent much of the game presenting to little effect. Ironically, assisted C Cameron’s early goal. I hope Brisbane fans weren’t licking their lips at the prospect of that combination causing havoc for the remainder of the game.
[33] Zac Bailey: 5
Was involved, but did a lot of dumb things. Stumbled multiple times when he was in the clear, which either put his teammates under unnecessary duress or flat out resulted in a turnover. Seemed very trigger-happy with the soccer kicks too, with at least two such attempts, neither of which resulted in a good outcome for his side. Did at least try and find a way through the Cats’ defensive juggernaut, and would sometimes cause a teammate to find space by virtue of his kamikaze approach. Scored a goal out the back in the last quarter when his team still had the merest hints of a sniff, and it was probably deserved, as he tried a hell of a lot harder than some of his comrades.
[16] Cam Rayner: 6
Undoubtedly the villain of the piece, but the form his villainy took makes it a difficult rating to judge. Did he score three goals? Yes. Did he deserve those three goals? A firm no. Although I laughed at the time, his dive in response to a hint of a shove from opponent Mark O’Connor was embarrassing, and he then made sure to put some mayo on an (admittedly stupid) shove from Zach Guthrie as the two teams engaged in a bit of virtuous scuffling in the wake of his initial flop. But he was still a powerful presence, breaking tackles, taking contested marks, and generally trying to make something happen for his team. Hit the post with a near-identical effort to the one that sunk the dagger in last year’s prelim. Had he scored that, the tension would’ve skyrocketed.
[13] Logan Morris: 4
Was comprehensively beaten by Jack Henry. But he still had some ok moments, including a good leading mark at half-forward in the third quarter. More importantly, he then sent a quickfire handball to Washcroft running past, who found Rayner out the back at full-forward. Also took a strong pack mark in the first quarter, and was then smothered by a bloke who’d blatantly run through the protected area. Worked hard all day and likely found that his undersized height, combined with his teammates’ stagnant delivery, made every single moment bloody hard yakka. Six disposals and zero tackles is a reflection of a quiet game, but not necessarily a dogshit one. The goal in the third was an adequate reward for effort.
[4] Callum Ah Chee: 4
Was intelligent with his intentions (trying to spot up teammates in the corridor, handballing over his head) but the effects of these were mixed. One shocking kick at half-back led directly to a Bailey Smith goal, and there just seemed to be a hell of a lot of pressure on him (wasn’t on his Pat Malone there) whenever he actually got the ball. Far more forgettable performance than last year’s prelim.
[32] Darcy Fort: 6
Got 52 hitouts, but they were of little consequence, with the Geelong midfielders feasting regardless of who’d won the ruck contest. Was a useful contested marking target at times, being probably the only Lion aside from Andrews to trouble the Cats in the air. Still does things in such a cumbersome fashion, but can at least walk away knowing he put in.
[5] Josh Dunkley: 6
Was hard at it as usual, being involved in tackles, scrums, near-marks, wayward handballs, and various other chaotic football events. Also had probably my favourite moment of the day, with a textbook smother on Dangerfield (takes a brave man to put his body on the line when faced with that ball drop). Unfortunately, just 9 of 30 touches were contested (Bailey and Washcroft were the only ones to hit double figures) and, combined with his 11 tackles, the evidence suggests he was second to the ball. Was regardless a touch unlucky not to receive more scragging frees at stoppages, and was a credit to himself by not complaining. I sure as hell would’ve.
[8] Will Ashcroft: 7
Another tough rating to give, as he did much of his good work when the game was just about beyond doubt, but he undoubtedly lifted in the second half as many of his teammates wilted, and he deserves kudos for that. Had a dumb moment in the second quarter when he was pinged for holding the ball after backing into the tackler in order to prevent a boundary throw-in, but it seemed to almost clear his head. It certainly felt like he was part of most of his team’s attacking chains, and his speed and agility were put to reasonable use as he tried to find a way through for the Brisbanes. Even took a contested mark, having started the contest out of position. Regrettably, it did not receive the same fanfare as Daicos’ contested mark, which gives me the inkling that Ashcroft had in fact taken one prior to this game.
[1] Kai Lohmann: 3
Was more involved in the second half, and actually finished with two goals, but unlike Washcroft, seemed to show an unwillingness to do the unfashionable stuff, so that brings his rating down a notch. Had too much air on a squaring kick in the third, which struck a blow to his side’s chances at a crucial moment. Also spent as much time having a crack at teammates as he did with ball in hand.
[3] Jaspa Fletcher: 5
Had a frenetic start, becoming involved with everything whether he wanted to or not. A smothered kick led to Geelong’s first goal, then he kicked it out on the full shortly after, and then he converted a lovely running goal off a couple of steps shortly after that. Cracked in all day, with 20 disposals, and I probably mixed him up with Levi Ashcroft at times, but many of the disposals were of little consequence. Showed great courage under a high ball, which always wins brownie points.
[10] Levi Ashcroft: 3
Got sucked up into a very early contest which left Dempsey free to waltz to half-forward and spot up J Cameron. Still had his 13 touches, but they weren’t overly impactful touches, and I feel that as a Rising Star candidate, he’s just too vanilla to receive such an award. I know Lewis Taylor won one once (Bont couldn’t even win that award, poor bastard) but as a Lions fan I’d be wondering where Levi’s future lies. His brother has the step. He doesn’t. Was subbed off early in the last.
[22] Ty Gallop: 2
Showed cleanliness below the knees on the rare occasions he did get the ball, along with a willingness to chase, but ultimately succumbed to the weight of the occasion, finishing scoreless, with eight disposals and two tackles. Can hardly criticise him for that, as he was a 19 year old playing as the tallest member of his forward unit in a qualifying final against a fairly competent opponent. Will probably take a lot out of the experience. Rate his mobility.
[SUB – Sam Marshall (20)]: N/A
Feels a bit harsh to give him a rating. Had a couple of handballs to Will Ashcroft and some tackles.
