PLUS: SCOTT DEFENDS GAME PLAN
Coach defends Cats’ under-fire game plan
CHRIS Scott has defended his side’s unconvincing start to the season amid criticism from fans and commentators of Geelong’s game plan, as star recruit Jeremy Cameron closes in on a club debut. The Cats have limped to a 3-2 start and have fallen from the top few sides in the competition to the bottom half in a number of key defensive and ball movement statistics.
CHRIS Scott has defended his side’s unconvincing start to the season amid criticism from fans and commentators of Geelong’s game plan.
As star recruit Jeremy Cameron closes in on a club debut, the Cats have limped to a 3-2 start and fallen from the top few sides in the competition to the bottom half in a number of key defensive and ball movement statistics.
A bristling Scott said Geelong’s problems in the opening five rounds were mostly because of execution and not system when asked if Cameron’s inclusion alongside Tom Hawkins would allow for more dare in their ball movement.
“Clearly we’re a bit off in some areas of our game and we’d like to get that execution better,” Scott said.
“It’s a little bit of system but it’s a lot of execution right at the moment.
“If we get Jeremy in the team, are we all of a sudden going to change the way we attack so we can kick the ball to him? I don’t think so, but we’d like to play more the way we’re intending to, which, if you’ve looked at us over a period of time, you should be reasonably clear on what that looks like.”
Champion Data stats reveal that Geelong has gone from first last year to 18th in its defensive 50 to score percentage, coming under fire for its labour-intensive game plan ahead of a crunch three weeks against West Coast, Sydney and Richmond.
It also ranks 12th for kick-in to score (third last year) and defensive 50 to inside 50 percentages (fourth last year).
The Cats were the highest scoring team across the competition last year but have crashed to 12th in the “points for” statistic.
Scott was defensive in his weekly press conference on Thursday when quizzed on the Cats’ ball movement.
“Anyone that’s spent enough time watching us play over the last few years should have an understanding of how we move the ball when we’re at our best,” he said.
“I don’t think anyone would describe it as super-fast football and the clear measure there is mark-play on percentage. We’ve consistently been down the bottom of that.
“Does that mean playing slow is our preference? Of course it doesn’t. All the parts of our game style need to work together.
“If we couldn’t score over a period of time playing the way that we were playing, we would change it. But we’ve been top four in attack for, whatever it is, three, four, five years.
“There should be a little bit more depth in that analysis.
“If we’ve changed (and) now all of a sudden we’re playing that way and it’s not working, that’s reasonable criticism.
“Again, you get some exkey forwards who just want the ball bashed into one-on-ones like it’s 2003. The game’s changed a little bit.
“But the other part is don’t make the assumption the way we’re playing is the way we’re choosing to play.”
Scott said the Cats were waiting on the green light from their medical department before confirming if Cameron would meet the Eagles.
“Again, I don’t want my desire for him to play to overshadow what the right decision is,” he said.
“Our plan was always to get him in a position where, when he was right to play, he could come in and play AFL footy.”