Geelong may have broken new ground this season with a modernised coaching structure that eschewed traditional line coaches, but senior coach Chris Scott remains the ‘sheriff’ according to assistant coach James Kelly.

As the Cats prepare to fly west to take on the Eagles in Perth this weekend, Kelly joined the To the Final Bell podcast and spoke about how the new structure has worked and how openness and a team-first mentality have been at its core.

“Scotty's really big on saying we're in a partnership with the players,” he said.

“If we come up with anything - a strategy, any ideas - we present it to the players, ask them how they feel about it, do they think it's something they can do, do they think it's something that's going to work - it’s how I like to coach and it’s worked well.”

Kelly returned to GMHBA Stadium as an assistant coach ahead of the 2022 season after spending several years as a player and then coach at Essendon, following three premierships and 273 games with the Cats.

“It's just everyone having a pretty open mind," he said of the new model.

"It was a little easier for me coming in fresh, but having the mindset that we want to be protective of the team, and I only just had this discussion again with Scotty yesterday, we want to be protective of the team not protective of our areas. 

“So whatever decision we come to it's always prefaced with, 'is this the best thing for the team' and we go with that.” 

Kelly said the key to the new structure’s success to date has been having a singular focus on what's best for the team.

“It was a little easier for me coming in fresh, but having the mindset that we want to be protective of the team.

“I only just had this discussion again with Scotty yesterday, we want to be protective of the team not protective of our areas. So whatever decision we come to it's always prefaced with, 'is this the best thing for the team' and we go with that.”

And while there has been plenty of robust discussion in match committee meetings, as part of the new model, the senior coach has the final say.  

“We joke about Scotty being the sheriff and there's only one sheriff in town,” he said. 

"We'll have the discussion and chat about it and even a few times we've said to him, you might have to sheriff this one for us.”

Geelong currently sits fifth on the ladder with games against West Coast, Richmond, and North Melbourne to come.