Geelong coach Chris Scott is not ready to hit the panic button just yet despite a winless opening two rounds in his side’s AFL premiership defence.
The Cats have slipped to a 0-2 record for just the second time in Scott’s 13-year tenure, having suffered an eight-point defeat to Carlton on Thursday night.
And they could have further injury concerns, with Jeremy Cameron, Rhys Stanley and Sam De Koning all “in the wars” during a hard-fought battle with the Blues.
“We always knew it was going to be a hard year and we’d be saying the same thing if we had’ve won two close games,” Scott said.
“The fact that we haven’t got over the line, there’s a disappointment there, that’s obvious, but it’s certainly not a situation where we’re really panicking.”
Geelong were without injured stars Tom Stewart (knee), Mitch Duncan (calf), Jack Henry (foot) and Jake Kolodjashnij (concussion) against Carlton, and are still learning to cope without retired premiership skipper Joel Selwood.
Former Gold Coast midfielder Jack Bowes and debutant Cooper Whyte played their first games for the Cats, while it was ex-Collingwood forward Ollie Henry’s second.
“Some of the disjointed manner in which we’re playing was a bit foreseeable with the shifts we’ve had,” Scott said.
“Some of the new players that have come in, there’s a lot to be positive about with those guys.
“We’ve come into this year with a view that we are going to be different and there are going to be teething problems with a few things.
“We’ve lost a couple of close games but there’s still a lot to like, so there’s a quiet confidence about us.”
It is the first time Geelong have been 0-2 since 2015 – their most recent season without finals action.
And they are the first side since Hawthorn in 2009 to lose the opening two games of a season immediately after winning a premiership.
Scott expects Kolodjashnij to return against Gold Coast in round three, with Duncan also on the verge of returning as the Cats look to turn their season around.
“I guess we do have extra confidence with our more experienced guys that if we do get it right, our top level is going to be hard to beat,” Scott said.
“We’re not there yet. We’ll work on it, but I’m probably erring more on the positive side, which is rare when you lose.”
© AAP 2023
