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Geelong coach Chris Scott lamented his side’s inability to capitalise on a period of dominance before halftime in the AFL grand final defeat to Richmond.
Scott says missed opportunities will “eat away” at his side for some time after they blew a 22-point lead.
The Cats kicked five consecutive goals after conceding the first two at the Gabba on Saturday night and took control of the contest during the second quarter.
Mitch Duncan, Tom Stewart and Cam Guthrie were all influential as they dominated midfield battle.
But Geelong failed to take full advantage in attack, kicking 3.3 in the second term including a horror miss by Gryan Miers from close range.
Norm Smith Medal winner Dustin Martin kicked an important goal in the shadows of halftime to cut the margin back to 15 points and Richmond ran over the top of the Cats in the second half.
“They were always going to have periods where they were going to be on top,” Scott said.
“When you’re playing the best team, you’ve got to take your chances and make the most of the momentum while you have it.
“The goal they got late … it makes a huge difference, 15 points versus 30 points at halftime and the whole complexion of the game changes.
“That will eat away at us for a little while.”
Scott, who led Geelong to a premiership in his first year as coach in 2011, said he couldn’t imagine being more disappointed with Saturday night’s result.
“I thought the game was there and for decent parts of the game we outplayed them, but when it counted they were just too good for us,” he said.
“We’re really aware of how difficult it is to get these chances and it’s going to take a long time to get over – they always do.”
Regardless of the result, Scott said he was proud of his players and the people employed at the club for the way they had conducted themselves throughout a difficult year in which the team spent more than 100 days in interstate hubs.
© AAP
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