‘Bad as I’ve seen’: Scott’s striking Cats admission after loss… but he’s still ‘glass half full’

Chris Scott is open to taking through a “glass half full” approach after Geelong’s three-goal loss to Carlton on Sunday afternoon, despite noting his side played “as bad as he’d seen for a long time”.

The Cats’ third loss of the season put an end to their impressive run of three wins in a row, as well as a small dent in their ultra-impressive recent form against the Blues.

Scott’s side were belted at clearance in the early stages of the game, trailing the count 7-16 to subsequently leave them chasing tail for the remainder of the clash. Their 19 less inside 50s than Carlton also deprived the likes of an in-form Patrick Dangerfield up forward, as rival stars Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay enjoyed a six-goal collective effort at the other end.

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Speaking to journalists post-game, the two-time premiership coach lamented poor execution and skill errors for their eventual loss, but commended his side for their perseverance amid an uncharacteristic outing.

“The glass half full (outlook), is we gave ourselves a chance to win,” Scott begun his post-match press conference by prefacing.

“I don’t like to compare ourselves too much to the rest of the competition, but my observation — watching virtually every game, every week — is that every team has had one of those days this year where they just couldn’t execute.

“It didn’t look like us. That’s as bad as I’ve seen us play for a long time.

“There was a combination of things that added up to a lot, but … I thought we hung in and gave ourselves the chance to win, but every time we looked like drawing level, we made another error.

Having won 13 of their last 17 clashes against the Blues before Sunday afternoon, history would suggest Geelong’s opponents were up against the odds. However, Carlton’s Curnow and McKay made the most of the inside 50 difference to kick truly more often than not, and leave the hands of the Cats’ defence full from siren-to-siren.

Eight-gamer Connor O’Sullivan was handed the daunting task of manning each of the Carlton talls at various times, and held up very well all things considered. However, the absence of Jack Henry and Jake Kolodjashnij down in defence was felt particularly when Carlton bombarded their attacking arc early doors.

“If you lose to Carlton, you would think (on face value) that Curnow and McKay slaughtered us. (But) we’re really confident in our future, given the way we’ve held up the last month or so. We haven’t had Jack Henry for a bit. Haven’t had (Jake) Kolodjashnij, Blicavs and Stewart were out for a game,” Scott continued.

“We went into the game thinking Connor O’Sullivan as a 19-year-old is going to play on Cunrow and McKay, (Sam) De Koning on the other one for big parts. They’re super players, but I didn’t think they slaughtered us … if that had have happened, the game would’ve been even worse for us.

At the other end of the ‘G, Geelong were arrow-straight in front of goal at an overcast MCG, kicking 12 goals and just four behinds as Jeremy Cameron enjoyed another day out against the Blues with four majors. It takes his tally to 18 goals against Michael Voss’ side in his last four outings.

Opportunities further up the ground weren’t taken as regularly however, as Scott again highlighted his side’s inability to maintain possession through the back and middle of the ground.

“Especially early in the game, they (Carlton) were strong, but gee, we gave them a chance with the way we used the ball (and) in the way we failed to put them under pressure. They’ve got too many good players to let them play the way they want,” Scott said.

“I’m breaking my own rule, because there’s nothing worse than when a coach says: ‘Oh, look, it was just our skill level.’

“I’m not talking about where they were good enough to pressure, (we) tip our lid to them in that respect. I’m talking about the ones where there was no pressure. We didn’t execute well, but again, sometimes you have those days and it’s easy to turn up your toes — that’s the pleasing part.

“We just had some awesome opportunities that we would have capitalised on at training, that we bungled.”

The Cats came out of the clash with one injury scare, after Tom Stewart pulled up extremely ginger from a marking contest in the first quarter. The five-time All-Australian defender, who missed one week earlier in the season with an MCL injury, was very slowly able to shake off his hobble — but never looked his damaging best afterwards.

“I am extrapolating here; it sounded like a kneecap. So they’re structurally okay, but bloody sore, so he was limited … limited to the point where he just couldn’t do what he normally does,” Scott said.

The Cats next take on Collingwood on Saturday night in another blockbuster clash, and are optimistic that Gryan Miers (concussion) and Jack Henry (hamstring) will return; with the former more likely to be named.