‘Major concerns’ over Cats’ hurt All-Australian as coach fends off ‘intensity clichés’ after narrow loss

Chris Scott said the Cats’ downfall in their narrow loss on Saturday night was failing to play the conditions as well as “Marvel experts” St Kilda amid “major concerns” over a five-time All-Australian’s injury.

The Cats were immediately on the back foot against the Saints after they conceded six of the first seven goals to quarter-time.

But Scott defended Geelong’s intensity at the start of the game and said it was more the way the Saints played the fast conditions under the roof of Marvel Stadium.

Watch your club in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season. Stream every round LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play, on Kayo Sports. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer.

“It’s easy to say ‘oh our intensity wasn’t good enough’, we didn’t play the conditions well enough,” Scott said.

“They looked like Marvel experts with the way they handled the ball and used it.”

Saints withstand Cats comeback | 02:31

The Cats made a late dash to win the game and were close to getting within three points before a score review overturned a Brad Close goal.

Geelong launched a stack of inside 50s in the final few minutes but the Saints held on.

Scott doubled down on his praise for St Kilda, crediting the Saints’ ability to “bounce it out” of their defensive arc.

“Sometimes you look at those sort of games and focus too much on what you’re not doing and don’t give enough credit to the opposition,” he said.

“Forget all the clichés you hear from commentators who don’t know what they’re talking about intensity, I just thought they were clean.

“I thought we couldn’t get the ball forward enough but when we did they were able to bounce it out quickly.

“It’s obvious to everyone that their kicking skills at this venue are at a really high level, so you need to have enough pressure on them to have a bit of doubt.

“It wasn’t just their kicking skills early, we knew that was the threat in the game, it was their ability to work their way out of any sort of pressure.”

Lyon proud of 'elite' pressure | 08:18

Star hybrid Tom Stewart was subbed out of the match with a right knee issue after he landed heavily in the first quarter.

Scott expected Stewart to be of minor concern and addressed Bailey Smith’s late withdrawal from the match with calf soreness.

“The first impression is that it’s minor,” he said of Stewart.

“Yeah, very close this week (Bailey Smith), if you described our system with these things we give them as long as possible and tend to be conservative unless they’re absolutely right.

“The conservative nature of the decision making suggests that he’ll be right for next week.”

Crucial goal overruled as Cats claw back | 00:34

While Scott called Stewart’s ailment “minor”, Herald Sun chief football reporter Jay Clark told Super Saturday Live there were “major concerns” over the severity of a PCL injury.

“They (the Cats) will sweat the results of scans tomorrow,” Clark said on Fox Footy.

“He smashes his right knee really heavily into the turf, and you can see straight away, he is in enormous pain. It is a heavy blow with the turf, and he keeps his knee up off the grass after that.

“Now, this could be anywhere between two weeks out to three months, depending on the results of those scans.

“What we do know is he is a crucial player for Geelong. In the seven-game stretch midseason last year where he was heavily tagged and had little impact, Geelong won only one of the seven. He is so important to them.”

Three-time Richmond premiership star Jack Riewoldt, who suffered a serious PCL injury in 2019, said he initially found it hard finding his footing after the injury.

“It depends on the grading, and we’ll find out a little bit more about that tomorrow, but they’re really difficult to come back with,” he said on Saturday night.

“It took me a while to find my feet after I came back from it as well.”

Click here to read article