Scott well aware the claws out for Cats

GEELONG coach Chris Scott is under no illusions about the importance of his sixth preliminary final after declaring “you would have to be a fool” to not expect fallout should his side be bounced out.

Ahead of what looms as a career-defining match for the coach against the side he played for in Brisbane, Scott admitted he was aware the heat would come for the Cats if they lost tonight.

He and his team have lost their past four preliminary finals, including three in the past four years. The Cats have embraced the challenges of this season but Scott said he understood what could be ahead.

“Our view collectively is that you have no choice but to embrace (the pressure),” he said. “You would have to be a fool not to be aware of the stakes and the repercussions and the disappointment that we would all face if we don’t get the job done. But that comes with the territory when you get to this stage of the year.”

As part of the club’s most successful era, Scott was on the Brisbane list but didn’t play in the last preliminary final played at the Gabba in 2002.

He said the irony of coaching against his old side at a venue where he played 114 matches wasn’t lost on him but there was a bigger job at hand.

“I never could have predicted that I would be coaching Geelong against Brisbane in a prelim final with the potential for a grand final at the Gabba the next week,” he said. “Maybe one day in my life I will leave a bit of room for nostalgia but I am with the Cats and I am in the moment right now.”