A feature of the Cats three game winning streak has been an even spread of contributions, with a number of players seizing their moment when the opportunity presents.  

Geelong has found an even balance between youth and experience, with the likes of Shaun Mannagh, Lawson Humphries and Ollie Dempsey having a big impact.  

Chris Scott spoke about the Cats well balanced team on AFL360 this week, while noting it is also handy to have a fit and firing Patrick Dangerfield leading the side.  

“I think everyone is trying to get to the point where you are not dependent on one player, even dependent on a few players,” Scott said.  

“I have used the example a few times this year, we missed Cam Guthrie all of last year and he virtually hasn’t played this year either.  

“If we had a full compliment of midfielders, we may not have got as much footy into the likes of Jack Bowes or Tanner Bruhn.  

“Sometimes going through that pain can actually help you because those guys are better, then you bring a fit Dangerfield back and that version of the midfield group is better.  

“Every coach talks system and it is crucial, but jeez your good players make your system better.” 

The Cats coach was also quizzed on his new look forward set up, with Shannon Neale getting his opportunity in a relatively small and agile front six.  

Results so far have been promising, scoring over 90 points in each of their past three games while finding an even spread of goal kickers to diversify their attack.  

Scott believes that cohesion is an important part of any successful playing group, particularly through the forward line to be able to produce great results.  

“I think the best teams in history, especially in the forward half tend to have a really stable group,” Scott said.  

“Attack is more based on knowing your teammates and intuition, you can really only learn that over time, it is hard to coach.  

“Players playing together for a long period of time really helps.  

“The other side of that is we have been rebuilding on the run for a long time.  

“We are constantly thinking about how we can bring players into our team, that might not help us in the short term but can be really important for us over the next five years.”  

Geelong and the Western Bulldogs will do battle on Saturday night, celebrating Retro Game with the opening bounce at 7.30pm. For those looking to attend games, tickets can be found here.