It’ll be straight back to work for the Cats on Monday according to midfielder Tom Atkins, Geelong optimistic they are a few tweaks away from getting back on the winners list.

Atkins was talking after the Cats went down to Walyalup by 29 points at Optus Stadium in Perth on Saturday afternoon. 

“We're going to get to work on Monday, Scotty's been really clear there's only a couple of things we need to dial in on,” he told K rock Football post game. “Similar to the Richmond game, we're still very optimistic we can turn things around.” 

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Geelong managed to stick with the Dockers up until the final break when the home side were able to shake off the Cats and earn their fourth win in six games. 

But Atkins refused to pin the loss on the list of key players missing through injury. 

“(The injuries) play a part but I reckon for the most part our young kids have been awesome the last couple of games,” he said. “I think Mitch Knevitt really stood up again this weekend, and Tanner Bruhn as well, Maxy Holmes too. 

“I think it's an overall connection thing rather than the personnel that we've got in there," he said. 

“There's only a couple of things, as I said, one of them being our defence both in live play and slow play, so if we get to work on that we'll start getting better scoring opportunities of the back of it.” 

One positive to come out of the match was the return of swingman Jack Henry, playing his first game of the season after a pre-season footy injury kept him out of the first nine rounds. 

“He's so important to us, Jack, because he can play both ends of the ground," Atkins said of his close friend. 

“Last year he was really important for us down back, but even then when he came back from his foot injury he started up forward and kicked a few goals against Richmond.

“It was awesome today to see him back at it, he's a good mate of mine so he's been working hard at rehab and he's looking good.”