Geelong have suffered a huge double blow heading into Thursday night's AFL blockbuster against Fremantle after Bailey Smith and Tom Stewart were ruled out of the crunch clash.
Smith has been struck down by illness, while Stewart hasn't been cleared to return from the concussion he suffered in the round-13 loss to Adelaide.
Star Cats forward Jeremy Cameron has been named despite battling a hip issue, but it is the absence of Smith and Stewart that dominated talk when Geelong released their team on Wednesday night.
Jack Bowes, who was a late withdrawal from last week's win against Gold Coast, replaces Smith in the side.
Smith has been averaging a career-high 32.3 possessions to go with 5.5 clearances per game this season to be rated as one of the Brownlow medal favourites, while Stewart has been a rock in defence for the third-placed Cats (9-5).
Ladder-leaders Fremantle (12-1) have been bolstered by the return of Caleb Serong (calf), Brennan Cox (knee) and Matthew Johnson (hamstring) in a key triple boost.
Oscar McDonald makes way for Cox, while Jaeger O'Meara and Corey Wagner were the other two unlucky players to be squeezed out.
Fremantle are on a club-record 12-match winning run and they'll be aiming to celebrate captain Alex Pearce's 150-game milestone with a win.
The AFL path has been an arduous one for Pearce, who suffered a series of career-threatening leg and ankle fractures earlier in his career but has grown into one of the league's most respected captains since being appointed in 2023.
"I'm super proud," Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir said ahead of Pearce's milestone game.
"I think the AFL world's slowly caught on to how good a leader he is.
"The resilience he's shown to be able to get over his injuries and become a more consistent player (is admirable).
"And then not only just focus on himself in those moments, but make sure he's focusing on the team and how we're getting better has been a pleasure to watch. I'm glad the rest of the competition's caught on."
Pearce is fast becoming renowned for his game sense - when to stay on his man, or when to peel off for a crucial intercept or tackle.
This knack was best summed up in the pulsating two-point win over Adelaide in round four, when Pearce produced a game-saving smother in the dying moments.
ALEX PEARCE DOES IT AT ADELAIDE OVAL... AGAIN 🌟@FreoDockers' skipper is no stranger to match-winning heroics in the 'City of Churches', sealing his side's win with this EPIC smother 💜🤍#AFLCrowsFreo pic.twitter.com/RG7sGBeJNp
— Fox Footy (@FOXFOOTY) April 3, 2026
"He's got a real presence about him, he picks and chooses his moments," Longmuir said of Tasmanian Pearce, who is set to be heavily targeted by the incoming Tasmania Devils, but has given no indication he will leave Freo.
"He's got a hard edge with his leadership, but he's got a real caring nature about him and he's able to impose himself on games and lead in games, which is a real balance for any leader to find."
Fremantle's sole slip-up this season came in round one when they coughed up a 35-point lead late in the second quarter on the way to a 10-point loss to Geelong (9-5) at the Cattery.
