Geelong coach Chris Scott is defending his AFL side after the 12th loss from their past 16 finals.
Scott says labelling Geelong as finals flops is lazy while defending Tom Hawkins after another wayward AFL qualifying final.
The Cats slipped to a 14-point qualifying loss to Port Adelaide on Thursday night.
Hawkins misfired, booting 0.5 and having another shot fall short – a season after kicking 0.4 in a qualifying loss to Collingwood.
The Coleman medallist sprayed set shots, mostly from wide areas, and also missed a left-foot set shot across his body from close range.
“He’s a pretty good exponent of those snaps,” Scott said.
“I think he took more marks inside 50 than Port combined.
“So that (conversion) part of the game was off, but I thought he looked a threat when we gave him half a chance.”
Scott dismissed suggestions his club’s possession-based game style cracks under finals pressure.
“I thnk the criticism is a bit lazy, personally,” he said.
“But we would like to win more finals.
“We all feel pressure at this time of year.
“I don’t think we would look at the way we played and thought there were fundamental problems with the game style.”
Scott said except for Richmond in the past three seasons, most clubs had poor finals records.
“Bar Richmond, if you include teams that don’t make the finals, not many teams have good finals records,” he said.
“You’re playing the best teams at the end of the year in high-pressure situations. So if you win it, you come away with a good record.
“The other option is you have a really good year one year and miss the finals three years in a row – that helps your record.”
Geelong will play a semi-final against the winner of Saturday night’s elimination final between West Coast and Collingwood.
And Scott was adamant his charges had the character to rally.
“We have consistently done it, this year we have performed well under adversity,” he said.
“We have had our patches where we haven’t gone that well but bounced back, both close games and within games.
“I have got a lot of faith in the character of our group.
“If we don’t perform, I’d be very very surprised if we look back and thought the character and the strength of will was the biggest issue.
“I have got a lot of confidence in the resilience and the capacity of our players.”
Scott believed Geelong would get to pick the venue of its semi-final.
“That is my understanding but we certainly haven’t made a decision internally,” he said.
“It’s a bridge that we will cross in the future.”
Shane
Guest
Silly comment. He is a premiership winning coach. His track record includes the ultimate prize.
Goalsonly
Roar Rookie
I'll see you there.
Goalsonly
Roar Rookie
Very cool Scribey. I couldn't have done it without you. :crying: I'd like to thank my mother and all those who stood by me and believed in me when everyone just thought I was a total nutjob. :unhappy: Well you get the journo's you pay heed to. We do have a few good ones and footy talk is filled with DELICIOUS side alleys. I blame the Coodabeens and other comedy jokesters who saw through the all too serious reporting in the 70's. Anyone who puts on an authorities hat and talks like they are an expert.... Well that's why you have two ears... one for it to go in and the other for it to go out. If by chance they do say something worthwhile it usually sounds out of place and then you get interested. :stoked:
Goalsonly
Roar Rookie
Of course you strive for the games biggest gong... duh... I'm not an idiot. Well most of the time I'm not. But to say that GF is the be all and end all is just a teensy weensy bit superficial. Fans have all kinds of memories in footy. They talk about the close calls and the one that got away all the time. It's the second best story of footy. Not to mention the freak skills and magic moments aeons away from the one day in September(October). Of course the cups and flags take a precedence but there's much more to footy than that. Anyway every cell in your body totally regenerates every seven years so it's not even a real living memory. I like the flags and they are special but they are far from the whole enchilada com padre.
Peter the Scribe
Roar Guru
Chris but 17 sides miss a flag every year? Geelong put themselves in a position they can win one more than most. I think in the end the Pies hurt Geelong. If we beat Port last round, Cats would have played the Lions in Brisbane. Instead they got the much harder prospect. They finished top 4 so job done for the home and away. Getting Port week one in Adelaide was just pure dumb luck. If a Pies miracle occurs then I expect they will pay us back for that next week!
Peter the Scribe
Roar Guru
Goalsonly Roar Rookie October 2nd 2020 @ 3:33pm "That’s the way the Scribes interpret our sporting history." Thanks Goals for putting words in my mouth.
Peter the Scribe
Roar Guru
They put Danger forward at the start of the last Peter and lost two crucial centre clearances. I think more the issue is they'd love two Dangers.
Chris
Guest
“Most exciting competitive” true, but fast forward 10,15,20 years, and they won’t be talked about, the 2007-2011 version will certainly be because of 1 small detail you constantly overlook....FLAGS. Cut it anyway you like, it’s the flags fans remember and cherish and players strive for. No one at Geelong would be happy with no premierships in last 8-9 years especially with their regular finals appearances.
Goalsonly
Roar Rookie
He's right to question lazy reporting. The media love a headline. If you win you are good and if you lose then you are bad. That's the way the Scribes interpret our sporting history. On the surface anyway. Scratch a little deeper and you open up a whole other world of experiences. This particular story is a test to see if the cats resist the idea that they choke in finals. The truth is they do. A lot of teams have choked in finals in that time. The cats have just choked in a heck of a lot more. But they always played with great heart. Nerves have played their part for sure and at times the scaredy cats have been comical. But they keep fronting up while others come and go. Surely that's the test of courage. To keep putting yourself in the battle when you know the price. Going missing is dead easy. I have no expectations on them and they have nothing to prove to anyone. Demanding things of them by all and sundry is petty. Very petty. Really they owe nobody anything. To exclude them from some AFL bunyip aristocracy is to question the nature of such a pantheon. The efforts of all the finalists are etched in my feelings somewhere of all the clubs. It's not nothing. And so in the light of all the great games they have been part of. One of the most exciting competitive teams of the last decade. I say see you on the arena you daring felines.
Peter
Guest
Geelong are wasting what could have been a dynasty! 9 defenders (Taylor, Henderson, Tuohy, Bews, O'Connor, Henry, Kolodjashnij, Stewart and Blicavs) in the team both offsets balance and prevents direct attacking football. Ratagolea and Jenkins in the shed means Ablett, Rohan, Miers, Dahlhaus have to pick up too much pressure and doesnt have them playing to their instinctual strengths. Having Ratagolea breaking packs provides small forwards their bread and butter. it also takes pressure off Hawkins with double teaming, and makes the forward approaches more direct. Put Dangerfield forward and give Guthrie and Menegola the room to do what they've done all year whilst making the forward line even more daunting to opponents. Dangerfield Hawkins Rohan Ablett Ratagolea Miers would panic defenses of opponents If you don't do this Scotty, you'll go down in history as one of the more wasteful finals coaches in the history of the game. In Ratagolea and Narkle Out Kolodjashnij and Atkins
pablocruz
Roar Rookie
Absolutely no doubting their class. Age is wearying their legs though and the youth they have in no way matches their old warriors. Topping up with older players is catching up yet the rumours suggest this trend will continue in the off season in an attempt to land a flag before they hit the wall. The end is nigh.
Squiggly
Roar Rookie
Of course he would say that!! As if he’s going to admit that he’s a pathetic coach. Great home and away record and that’s all he’s got
Jones
Guest
Just like Hawthorn didn't suffer from Kennett's curse and Collingwood didnt suffer the Colliywobbles. The more they finals games Geelong lose the more ingrained this problem becomes.
RT
Roar Rookie
“Bar Richmond, if you include teams that don’t make the finals, not many teams have good finals records,” he said. That quote made my morning.