Geelong boss points to the Cats’ positives

GEELONG president Colin Carter says it is “stupid” to suggest the club’s unflattering 3-9 finals record post-2011 will put pressure on coach Chris Scott’s Cats in coming weeks.

And Carter says the Cats will not be distracted over squabbling about venue politics, despite Scott admitting many people believe the club is “whingeing” over calls for a final in Geelong.

Despite their superior position on the ladder, the Cats will be forced to take on Collingwood at the Magpies’ home ground, the MCG, in a qualifying final.

Geelong have hardly put a foot wrong this season but the Cats’ record of three wins in 12 finals since their last premiership will be a key talking point in the next fortnight.

Cats star Patrick Dangerfield admitted the club had been “really disappointing” in finals in recent years and needed to rise to the occasion.

But Carter said that the Cats’ ability to make finals in seven of the eight seasons since that 2011 premiership was a miracle.

“So we have lost a couple of finals. I regard it as a miracle we were in the finals, so the commentary around that is stupid,” he said.

“We rebuilt the team and the astonishing thing is we made finals, let alone lost a few. I place absolutely no import on that observation.

“If you look at Clarko (Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson), they haven’t won a lot of finals since 2015 (four losses).

“Many teams go down the bottom from a rebuild, but we have only four players from the 2011 premiership side and have finished in the top two despite completely turning the team over.”

After the Cats’ win over Carlton on Saturday night’, Scott described the AFL’s finals scheduling system as “bizarre” but acknowledged “anyone that’s not a Geelong supporter just considers it whingeing”.

Carter believes Geelong can defend their right to host a GMHBA Stadium final without being distracted after four wins from five MCG contests this season.

“The AFL knows our position, which is we have the right,” he said.

“What happens this year or the next year, who knows? But it’s an AFL decision and we will play where they want us to play.

“We have gone from a statebased competition where all finals were at the MCG to a national competition where the earned right applies, but not to all teams. It’s a journey and we should get there quicker.”

Dangerfield addressed the finals scheduling on 3AW: “You would like to think when you have earnt the right to play a home final you get a home final, but as players it’s out of our control.”