SCOTT’S HEAPS OF HEADACHES

CHRIS Scott has some headaches.

Let it first be noted that they aren’t massive ones — yet. But there are certainly some areas which will be giving the Geelong coach some food for thought in the final five weeks of the homeand-away season.

Motlop is the one in the gun from Geelong fans at the minute. His output against Adelaide — 12 disposals, five turnovers, one tackle — is well below the level that you’d expect from a player of his quality.

He was ranked as the No.1 player on the ground for total sprints (25) and repeat sprints (six) against the Crows. It’s a sign that his work rate is there. His confidence isn’t.

Unloved in last season’s trade window and out of contract at the end of the year, Motlop finds himself in a tough situation.

If he stays at Geelong in 2018 he will need to take a haircut on his current wage, which is reportedly up to $600,000. On his current form, it’s hard to see clubs fighting it out for his signature, especially at that price.

The uncertainty has to be playing on his mind. It must be hurting his performances.

Hawkins — four goals against Brisbane aside — hasn’t kicked a genuine bag of goals since slotting four majors against Essendon in Round 8. He has kicked more than two goals just twice in the past eight weeks.

That’s not good enough for your main forward target.

Hawkins has kicked 37 goals this year, just four more than Patrick Dangerfield.

Rhys Stanley is the tease of the trio. He gives you one performance of brilliance but struggles to back it up every week.

He looms as a key part of Geelong’s structure, given he can play in the ruck and up forward.

The problem for Scott is that Stanley isn’t having a significant impact in either position at the moment.

It’s easy to say that Motlop and Stanley could do with a run in the VFL. But there is hardly beating down the door to the senior team in the VFL.

So do you stick with guys out of form that are proven at senior level? Or do you throw a youngster in and hope they can stand tall? Geelong’s Mr Fix It. We don’t know the exact extent of his injury yet, but if it is confirmed Blicavs has a crack in his lower leg then he could be missing a large part of the season.

In the absence of Scott Selwood, Blicavs has been used as a tagger. This is a crucial role, given Selwood hasn’t been able to get any continuity in the senior team since crossing from West Coast.

He has also been a valuable player in the ruck and has looked dangerous at times pushing forward.

The Cats have no player similar to him on their list. He is a big out.

One that has lingered all season. Adelaide has Eddie Betts, GWS has Toby Greene, Port Adelaide has Robbie Gray — you get the point.

Finals-bound teams have genuine small, crumbing forwards. Geelong doesn’t really have that right now and certainly didn’t play with one against Adelaide.

Lincoln McCarthy and Cory Gregson would both go pretty close to walking into the team in that role, but both are likely to miss the rest of the season.

Nakia Cockatoo and Brandan Parfitt have both battled hamstring injuries. And Sam Simpson is inexperienced.

The Cats have run out of options in this role. Recently they have rotated the likes of Sam Menegola and Cam Guthrie forward. It hasn’t really worked.

The Round 1 win over Fremantle was a good way to start the season. Victory over Brisbane was expected in Round 16.

Drawing with GWS Giants with such a young team was seriously impressive.

They are all the ticks.

But you also cannot ignore some of Geelong’s worst performances have been on the road. They all have one thing in common too.

The Cats got jumped early and by the time they started to get things going it was too late.

Adelaide on Friday night was unbelievably ferocious. It brought a finals-like pressure to the game.

West Coast in Perth is one of the toughest places to play footy and the Eagles made Geelong pay for its post-bye blues.

And let’s not forgot the Gold Coast, where the Suns ran rampant off half-back for the majority of the game.

Given Geelong’s ladder position, an away final against GWS or Adelaide is a real possibility if it finishes top four.

Geelong doesn’t travel interstate again in the homeand-away season. Can it turn that away form around?