WE’LL BE READY FOR LIONS
WE HAVE A PLAN: Scott flags changes against Brisbane after short turnaround
GEELONG coach Chris Scott says he expects there to be forced changes to the team that defeated Gold Coast as his side prepares to take on Brisbane at the SCG off a five-day break.
The Cats flew to Sydney on Sunday and will spend much of this week in recovery mode as they look to string together a third straight win.
Scott said the short turnaround would almost certainly impact decision making at the selection table but added the fact the Lions — who beat Port Adelaide by 37 points on Saturday night — played on the same day as Geelong neutralised the effect of the five-day rest.
“It does (affect us) and we have got a plan,” he said.
“We have had a plan, I wouldn’t say for a long period of time because we didn’t know the fixture, but I think the whole competition has been forewarned enough that there was a likelihood that there could be games in quick succession.”
“We are playing Brisbane who was top four last year so we certainly won’t be complacent about the challenge but the five-day break means we will think about our selection and using more players in our squad,” Scott said.
“We feel we are pretty fortunate that we have got players who are just out of the team who are in really good form but the five-day break is completely neutralised when you are playing a team that has got the same break, and Brisbane play tonight (Saturday) so it is fair.”
Geelong was unable to get a scratch match in on Saturday as Victorian teams hurried to fly out of the state amid fears of further virus lockdowns. Nonselected players instead had an extended training run.
Young gun Jordan Clark has been performing well on the track and could be considered, while the Cats will make a call on which players could benefit from a rest ahead of their impending month away from home.
The wins on Saturday to Geelong and Brisbane mean it will be a third against second showdown on Thursday, and Lions coach Chris Fagan said his players would embrace the challenge of taking on the Cats.
“I think they’re looking forward to it,” Fagan said.
“They have been here in Brisbane for a long time now so a change of scenery might be a good thing for us.
“We don’t know how long we are going to be there for but we will just try to take a positive approach to it and make the most of our time together.
“We have got a pretty tough game next week against Geelong who are a great side and have been a great side for many, many years, so that is another good test for our young group.
“Who would have thought that Geelong and Brisbane would have been playing each other at the SCG; it is a weird year isn’t it.”
Fagan said captain Dayne Zorko was a strong chance of returning after missing the win against Port with a calf injury.