MATCH DETAILS
Geelong v North Melbourne
Skilled Stadium, 1.10pm, Sunday August 24

LAST TIME THEY MET
Geelong 19.13 (127) d North Melbourne 17.12 (114), round 11, 2008 at Telstra Dome

It took career-best games from Gary Ablett and Cameron Mooney for the Cats to get over the top of North Melbourne in a Friday night special earlier this year.

Ablett’s 39-possession, two-goal beauty has been widely spoken about as the individual game of the season, while Mooney booted seven goals for the first time in his career. Geelong had its nose in front for pretty much the entire night but was never able to shake the persistent Roos. David Hale provided a target in attack, firstly causing a problem for Matthew Scarlett and then always looming large once the champion full-back left the field with a hamstring strain.

Joel Selwood missed the clash for the Cats but apart from that Geelong was basically at full strength, meaning Dean Laidley’s men could take plenty of confidence from running last year’s champs so close.

FORM GUIDE

Both teams are flying heading into the round 21 fixture, the Cats not having lost since round nine while North Melbourne hasn’t tasted defeat since its round 14 fadeout against St Kilda.

Geelong showed that they won’t take the foot off the pedal or alter their approach to any opposition in the final weeks of the season. The Cats were missing four stars against the Swans last week but still comfortably won by 39 points, having winners on every line. Pleasingly, Gary Ablett was back to his best while Cam Mooney was also in good touch. Both destroyed the Roos in round 11.

North Melbourne was sluggish early against Carlton before motoring away. Brent “Boomer” Harvey continued his outlandish form with 30 touches and three goals while David Hale – who impressed up forward against the Cats the last time the pair met – was also prominent. The Kangas also have players set to return in coming weeks, so there is plenty of upside for the Roos as they continue to gain momentum at the right time of the year.

RANDOM FACTS

- Former Kangaroo Cameron Mooney lifts against his old club. He has had more disposals and kicked more goals (29) against North Melbourne than any other AFL club.

- North Melbourne champ Brent Harvey is averaging 20.3 touches against Geelong.

- Round 21 hasn’t been kind to the Cats over the past 10 years, with Geelong winning only one of its penultimate matches of the hone and away season in that time. That was a 76-point win over West Coast in 2005.

KEY MATCH UPS
Cameron Ling v Brent Harvey
The star pair ran with each other in round 11 and while Ling had 25 touches his opponent, who he would normally expect to restrict, had 28 touches and kicked two goals. Ling, arguably the game’s best stopper, would be hoping to do a better job this time around.

Gary Ablett v Brady Rawlings
Whether Rawlings gets first crack at the man who decided the outcome of the four points the last time these teams met, who knows? But he’s likely to run with the Cats’ champ at some stage. Will he fare better this time around? One thing that is certain about Rawlings – he’s as honest as the day is long, and will keep trying for every minute that he’s opposed to Ablett. Gazza was back to his best last week though and will need to be kept under close watch.

Brad Ottens v Hamish McIntosh/Drew Petrie
Ottens will be celebrating game 200 so he will be extra determined to do well. And his side will need him to be at his best. North Melbourne’s big men have been a real strength in recent weeks. Petrie’s ability to cover the ground has been an asset, and if McIntosh comes back from a knee injury it will make Ottens’ job even tougher.

WHAT THE CLUBS SAY
Geelong coach Mark Thompson (after last week’s win over the Swans)

“I’d like more games like [tonight]. As many games like that as we possibly could get.

“And I think North Melbourne will be a game like that. They’re fighting for a top-four spot, so it’ll be a very competitive game and I couldn’t ask for a better one.”

North Melbourne coach Dean Laidley

“It'll be great for some of our guys to play against Geelong – it's a wonderful opportunity.

“They've got a lot of talent; they're mature, very slick and they've probably had four of their best players on the sidelines … we'll recover and I think our supporters will really look forward to going along and having a look.

“Our record has been okay down at Skilled Stadium, but we're just looking forward to it.”