Geelong coach Chris Scott insists Friday night’s heavy loss to Brisbane “wasn’t a disaster”, despite the 41-point margin and the occasion of Patrick Dangerfield’s 350th match at GMHBA Stadium.
The Cats managed just 3.5 in the first half, their fourth-lowest score at the venue since 1999, as the Lions ran riot and shut down Geelong’s trademark turnover game.
But Scott was adamant the milestone had little bearing on his side’s performance.
‘One of those nights where everything went wrong’
“You’d like to play better, but you’ve heard me say for 15 years that if you need a milestone to try, then you’re not a true professional,” Scott told reporters. “It was a bad game to have an off night... but I didn’t think it was a complete disaster.”
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Scott pointed to expected score as reason for calm, with the numbers suggesting Geelong should have come much closer. The Cats finished with 6.15 (51) from an expected 91.2, while Brisbane kicked 14.8 (92) from an expected 84.8.
“Even at three-quarter-time... the expected score was pretty tight,” he said. “It was just some uncharacteristic stuff. If it’s a pattern, that means you’re a bad team — I don’t think that’s us.”
Despite the loss, the Cats enter the bye in third at 10-5, a position Scott says still leaves them well in the mix.
“I think tonight’s a disaster in the context of tonight,” he said. “But I’m confident tonight was a bit of a blip, as disappointing as it is.”