GEELONG'S trio of debutants deserved as much praise as superstar Patrick Dangerfield after the Cats left Sydney with a share of the points on Saturday night. 

Dangerfield was the beacon for the Cats, with 45 possessions against Greater Western Sydney, but coach Chris Scott expressed his pride in teenagers Sam Simpson, Zach Guthrie and young forward Wylie Buzza, who fitted neatly into a team structure that passed the ultimate test.

Geelong led by 20 points seven minutes into the fourth quarter and would have earned a famous win but for a late resurgence by GWS which resulted in a 68-68 draw.

"[Dangerfield] takes it upon his shoulders to lead the team. He’s got a lot of pride in his performance. But he was more about the whole team stepping up - we had some young players in - having faith that they knew the way that we wanted to play," Cats coach Chris Scott said.

"That’s the way it unfolded, at least to our cursory observation during the game, that those guys certainly didn’t get overawed in the moment, and they seemed to execute what we’ve trained. 

"It’s a credit to them because I don’t think even two days ago those guys would have even considered that they’d be making their debut."

Buzza was called up only when Daniel Menzel was scratched after injuring his leg in the warm-up, while Joel Selwood was omitted on doctor’s orders after suffering a concussion last round.

"If I had to pick one side or other of the equation it would be positive," Scott said.

"We’re really proud of the effort our guys put in under really difficult circumstances … with three debutants in a game under really trying circumstances. They didn’t get a great preparation. They were all last-minute inclusions. We had significant issues.

"If we were in really, really good shape, playing really good footy with a full list of players, we would have gone in thinking, ‘This is going to be a tough game’. We think they’re the best side in the comp, their ladder position reflects that, on their home deck. I don’t think the game was spectacular … but it was certainly hard-fought and there was a fair bit of grit." 

On Buzza, Scott said: "He’s a very good shot for goal, so that gave us confidence. Even watching him in the warm-up he was knocking them over as well. While he’s going to get some attention because of his hair and his name, I hope that he gets some attention for his straight goalkicking as well. He deserves to be proud of his performance in his debut tonight." 

Another player who stood tall was journeyman Sam Menegola, who had 33 possessions, second only to Dangerfield. 

"Sam’s a little bit more experienced," Scott said. 

"But obviously we needed some of those guys to step up. Sam’s got a bit of a history with us, that when he gets an opportunity to play a bit more midfield time and gets the chance to take on more responsibility around the contest, he generally steps up. 

"That’s a great trait for a player who’s still trying to earn his stripes within the competition. He was really strong tonight."