Geelong Coach Chris Scott Addresses Player Injuries and Performance Concerns
Geelong coach Chris Scott has expressed hope that one of his veteran players has avoided a serious injury, while also downplaying concerns over another player following a surprising loss to Port Adelaide. The team suffered a 13.17 (95) to 10.5 (65) defeat on Saturday night, raising questions about the fitness and performance of key players.
Mark Blicavs, a versatile utility player, is set to undergo scans after hyperextending his left knee during the game. Scott said the medical team is optimistic that the injury is not severe, and Blicavs is expected to return to action soon. “The medics are hopeful it’s not serious,” Scott said. “He was pretty upbeat as well, but he’s – you know the Monty Python skit, he could have his arm chopped off and he’d still be positive about it, he’s that kind of guy.”
On the other hand, captain Patrick Dangerfield, a Brownlow medallist, faced criticism for his limited involvement in the match, collecting only four disposals. However, Scott dismissed concerns about his fitness, pointing out that Dangerfield was playing as a forward 50 player, which meant the ball wasn’t coming to him as often as usual. “We had 23 (attacking) entries at three quarter-time. He was a forward 50 player, so the ball wasn’t going to him very much,” Scott explained.
Scott also highlighted that Dangerfield had looked sharp during training this week. However, he acknowledged that the player may have been a bit rusty after returning from a long layoff. “He wouldn’t be the first player, and he won’t be the last player, that had a long lay-off, came back, played pretty well first up, and was a bit rusty on his second run,” Scott said. “That’s a bit of a cliche and maybe a little bit of a cop out but it seems like that was the case. We’ll wait until we see what we get next week.”
Team Performance and Future Outlook
Despite the loss, Scott remains confident in the team’s ability to bounce back. The Cats now sit at a four-three win-loss record, but the coach emphasized that the focus should be on identifying real issues rather than reacting to fleeting problems. “It was difficult to explain our performance … the final margin was 30 points, but it should have been 60,” he said.
Scott stressed the importance of not jumping to conclusions or making drastic changes based on a single poor performance. “The challenge is trying to work out what are real issues that need to be addressed, and what are fleeting things that you can move past pretty quickly,” he said. “I’m a big believer in the game, full stop, but especially knowing our group so well, that you shouldn’t jump at shadows.”
He added that while it’s important to act promptly when necessary, the team must look for patterns before making significant adjustments. “Without being too flippant about it, I think it’s likely we will stay positive and try to forget that one as quickly as possible,” Scott concluded.
