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The Southport Sharks and Geelong Cats will go head-to-head in a blockbuster VFL clash on Thursday Night at Fankhauser Reserve. After three rounds, both teams sit in the top 8.
Southport lost to Richmond in Round 1 but defeated strong standalone clubs Williamstown and Werribee in the last two weeks, and currently sit in fifth place. Geelong defeated Essendon in Round 1, but lost to Collingwood in Round 2, and defeated Brisbane in a thriller in Round 3.
There are plenty of players to watch from both teams. 2017 Richmond AFL Premiership player Jacob Townsend has kicked 15 goals in his first three games at the Sharks. He currently leads the Jim Frosty Miller Medal for the VFL’s Leading Goal Kicker by five goals.
Gold Coast locals – Aiden Fyfe in defence, Jacob Dawson in the middle and Max Pescud up forward have also been playing very well for the VFL standalone club. For Geelong, Cooper Stephens (Draft Pick 16, 2019) and Mitch Knevitt (Draft Pick 25, 2021) are two exciting players to watch, and were named amongst the best players in their win over Brisbane.
In terms of history, these two teams have never played each other. However, there is a lot of goodwill between the two clubs as the Geelong Cats’ hub during the 2020 season due to Covid-19 was at the Southport Sharks.
Expect a tough contested game of football, with the ability for either team to break the game open. Both teams had outstanding first quarters last week, where they were able to capitalise on their centre clearances.
Although, it is Round 4 this is an extremely important game for both teams, as it is a classic 8-point game and could be the difference between making the top 4 and missing the eight at the end of the year for either team.
MATCH CENTRE and LIVE STREAM: https://www.afl.com.au/matches/4188
