GEELONG coach Chris Scott has refused to concede his team is in a rebuilding phase after being thrashed by West Coast in a result that could have been far worse if the Eagles had kicked straight.
 
Scott said his plans for Sunday night's match had been ruined by a quad injury to Rhys Stanley that saw the big ruckman subbed out of the game early, and a calf injury to Mitch Clark.
 
But he also conceded his team had not been allowed to play the type of football he had expected before rejecting suggestions Geelong was embarking on a rebuilding phase.
 
"I certainly wouldn't use the word 'rebuild' and I don't think anyone else would either," he said.
 
"We've been in the process of transition with our list for a long period of time and that's going to continue over the next couple of years because we've got some very well-credentialled players who are nearing the end of their career, whether it's this year or the year after or the years after that.
 
"So, the two things are still running concurrently. We are hopeful and optimistic that we will improve our performances as the season goes on.
 
"And we've always got one eye on the future but, as I said, we didn't wake up this morning and post-game think we need to change our long-term plan drastically. We've been on this path for a long time."
 
Scott thought his side was still in the match at three-quarter time after the Eagles had been wasteful in kicking 9.21 to his side's 9.3.
 
But West Coast, led by a hungry midfield and ruckman Nic Naitanui, pulled away in the last quarter to win by 56 points.
 
"They missed some shots and, at the other end, when we were getting reasonable opportunities to our forwards, they looked really dangerous," he said.
 
"We did have so many players down that that is the glass half-full approach and we had a level of confidence that if we could get a bit of a lift from some of our better players then we were a really good chance in the game.
 
"Now, as it was, it didn’t go our way and we let them in for some easy goals at the end. I mean, the simple way of looking at the game, if you look at the inside 50s (34-61), then it's pretty easy to work out how the game was played."
 
Scott said the Eagles deserved plenty of credit for their performance and his side was now clearly "behind them".
 
He said he was unsure whether Clark and Stanley would be available for Saturday’s match against Essendon at Etihad Stadium.