Jez turns it up to 11 in Cats' demolition of timid Roos

Jeremy Cameron celebrates during the round 20 match between North Melbourne and Geelong at Marvel Stadium, July 26, 2025. Picture: Getty Images

GEELONG has completely torn apart North Melbourne in a 101-point victory, with Jeremy Cameron kicking a career high 11-goals to extend the longest active winning streak over an opposition team to 13 consecutive wins.

The Cats seized their spot back in the top four, securing their first win at Marvel Stadium in two years, with a final score of 7.7 (49) to 22.18 (150).

KANGAROOS v CATS Full match coverage and stats

Bailey Smith was back in Brownlow contention after a quiet two weeks, notching up an equal career-best of his own with 43 disposals, 13 clearances and a goal. With a bit of back and forth with the crowd thrown in, ‘Baz’ was back to his old tricks.

Max Holmes also impressed and was left relatively unattended by the Roos midfield throughout the game, snagging 29 disposals, seven clearances and 664 metres gained.

Without Nick Larkey for the third consecutive week, defender Charlie Comben moved forward as a tall option, flanked by Cameron Zurhaar and Paul Curtis.

ALL THE HIGHLIGHTS Previous Next 03:51 Watch all 11 goals from Jezza’s personal-best bag Jeremy Cameron adds to his illustrious career by reaching double figures for the first time with a ridiculous 11-goal haul

08:09 Highlights: North Melbourne v Geelong The Kangaroos and Cats clash in round 20 of the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season

00:56 The moment Jeremy Cameron boots 10 goals for the first time Jeremy Cameron finally cracks double digits in his 14th season with a staggering 10 goals against the Roos, with plenty of time remaining

00:51 Neale joins party with powerful pair of his own Shannon Neale piles on more pain for the Roos with a couple of strong marks and goals

00:39 Jezza in heaven with goal number seven Jeremy Cameron continues his unstoppable outing to make it seven goals midway through the third quarter

00:47 Smith adds more spark with sizzling snap Bailey Smith continues to torment the Roos with an ‘exceptional’ goal in the second term

00:39 Zurhaar’s brute strength pays off for Roos Cam Zurhaar stems the bleeding right before half-time with a powerful goal

00:54 ‘It’s very hard to miss from there’: Cat’s calamity in front of goal Mark Blicavs strolls into an open goal but somehow squanders the opportunity and ends up with a moment he’d rather forget

00:59 Baz bites back at Roos fans giving him an earful Bailey Smith dishes it straight back to the North faithful after copping some cheek from over the fence

00:57 Jezza warning: Cameron catches fire with early hat-trick Jeremy Cameron could be in for another big bag after notching his side’s first three goals with class

Whilst the latter duo each kicked multiple goals, it wasn't enough with six cumulative North Melbourne goals not even close to bridging the gap.

The Cats' forward line was on fire, and no matter what Alastair Clarkson threw at the defence, it didn't stop the bleeding on the scoreboard. Forward Zane Duursma also found himself moved around, replicating his half-back spot in the VFL last week.

But for all of Clarkson's magnet moving, the most baffling was not assigning anyone to be Jeremy Cameron’s shadow until the third quarter, when Toby Pink was sent to be glued to his side.

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However, it was too little too late, as the damage had been done by the Coleman Medal leader who slotted five goals in the first half, and finished with a career high 11 by the game’s end.

And if it wasn't Cameron inside-50 it was Shannon Neale, who kicked four goals and took eight marks.

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Despite the carnage to the scoreboard, both teams left relatively unscathed on the injury front with both subs used tactically. Patrick Dangerfield was subbed out of his 200th game in the blue hoops, for Lawson Humphries in the third term, whilst Roo Robert Hansen Jr came on for Jacob Konstanty in the fourth.

In what was an ultimately dismal showing from North Melbourne, veteran Luke Parker was the shining light, displaying his seniority with 31 disposals and five clearances, whilst Colby McKercher had 32 touches and 6 marks.

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But for what it was worth, Geelong was still too strong.

With a dominant exhibition of football, Chris Scott's Cats took their spot back in the top four in a bloodbath that saw the first triple-digit margin of 2025.

Milestone Night for Jezza

It may have been Patrick Dangerfield's 200th game for Geelong, but it was Jeremy Cameron's night. Kicking a career high 11-goals, Cameron was completely unstoppable, no matter who North Melbourne threw at him, from Griffin Logue to Toby Pink. With three kicked in the first quarter, and five by half-time, it was clear from the get-go the Coleman Medal leader was chasing down a new milestone. Despite hitting the 11 in front of an emphatic Cats crowd, Cameron was unable to snag the second record on offer for the night. In Marvel Stadium's 25-year history, 'Jezza' is just the third player to kick 11 goals at the ground, but the history making 12 from Mark Lecras in 2010 against Essendon still remains up for grabs.

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Bailey Smith vs the Crowd

Bailey Smith set the tone for the match early, bringing his theatrics back into the game with a first quarter tête-à-tête with the crowd. When a push to North's Jy Simpkin led to an outburst from an unhappy Roos supporter, Smith bit back. After exchanging words with the patron, the contentious midfielder stuck his tongue out and, with a grin, ran back into the contest. But in true 'Baz' fashion, it wasn't just words from the star, who went on to back up his chat with 43 disposals, 13 clearances and a goal.

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NORTH MELBOURNE 2.2 3.4 3.5 7.7 (49)

GEELONG 4.6 11.10 19.15 22.18 (150)

GOALS

North Melbourne: Zurhaar 3, Curtis 2, Darling, Maley

Geelong: Cameron 11, Neale 4, Stengle 2, Bowes, Miers, Stanley, Smith, Humphries

BEST

North Melbourne: Parker, McKercher, Sheezel, Powell, Simpkin

Geelong: Smith, Cameron, Holmes, Atkins, Miers

INJURIES

North Melbourne: Nil

Geelong: Nil

SUBSTITUTES

North Melbourne: Robert Hansen Jr (replaced Jacob Konstanty in the fourth quarter)

Geelong: Lawson Humphries (replaced Patrick Dangerfield in the third quarter)

Crowd: TBC at Marvel Stadium

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