Geelong's 2022 coaching panel. (Photo: GeelongCats -Twitter)
With just five rounds remaining in the 2022 season, Geelong head coach Chris Scott has full belief that his side can improve, despite sitting on top of the AFL ladder.
Geelong is no stranger to finals football, particularly under Scott, who took over at the beginning of the 2011 season. Since then, Geelong has only missed the finals once however, it only has achieved one premiership in this period.
On top of this, Geelong has finished inside the top four in eight of these seasons, with the Preliminary Final being the club’s downfall on five occasions, as well as the 2020 Grand Final loss to Richmond.
“There are five games to go, and there’s a week off after that, so we’ve just got to think through how we best manage our squad,” Scott told the media.
“As I said earlier in the year, we’re really confident that we have a deep squad, and we plan to use it.
“That has come to pass to an extent, but even in the last four weeks, no one should look at our team and think that’s what our best 22 is. We’ve got more considerations than that.”
Geelong has the oldest list in the competition (average age of 25.7 years old) and with many of its players equipped with finals experience, many believe the time is now for the club to claim its 10th premiership.
Having beaten five of the top eight teams, most recently Carlton on the weekend, Geelong is primed for a genuine shot at the premiership, seemingly having very minimal weaknesses. All this, with superstar defender Tom Stewart still to return from suspension.
Jeremy Cameron is currently second in the Coleman Medal race, while fellow key forward Tom Hawkins rounds out the top three.
Scott said he feels his sides best is good enough, but significant improvement is needed to go one step further in September action.
“If we improve, I believe our best is good enough. If we stay where we are, I don’t think that’ll be good enough, but it’s just so hard to judge,” he said.
“It’s hard to judge where we’re going to be, much less how the other good teams are going to be as well.
“I think history is a pretty good guide, and you kind of need to flush the last six weeks, you really need to nail it. We’re just trying to set up all the pieces to give ourselves a chance to do that.
“Sometimes you can have some bad luck that makes that harder, and I guess in a perfect world, we’re trying to have some contingencies in place.”
Looking ahead to this weekend’s clash with Port Adelaide, Scott mentioned that it would be another challenge for his side.
“It’s always been a challenge playing them anywhere, but especially over there,” he said.
“We’ve always had a really high level of respect for the way that they are coached, they’re a well-organised team, and I always find it a challenge coaching against Port Adelaide teams.”
Geelong will travel to Adelaide Oval to take on Port Adelaide at 4:35 pm (AEST) on Saturday.
Subscribe to our newsletter!
About Author
