CHRIS Scott says it's time to move on from focusing on Geelong's glory years.
The Cats' 0-2 start to the season has been a shock to any expecting the 2015 team to perform as the champion lineups of 2007, 2009 and 2011 did.
"We're not in the habit of talking about what we used to be," the Geelong coach said on Friday.
"I'm sick to death of hearing what Geelong used to be. We're focused on what we are now, what we need to bring this week and what we're going to be like later in the season.
"I don't care what happened in previous years or who Geelong used to be, I care about who we're going to be moving forward."
For Geelong, that starts with breaking through for its first win of the season against Gold Coast at Simonds Stadium on Sunday.
The Cats will be boosted by the return of star midfielders Jimmy Bartel and Steven Motlop, who were notable absentees for the club's 44-point drubbing at the hands of Fremantle on Sunday.
Andrew Mackie (quad), Billie Smedts (suspension) and Dawson Simpson (omitted) are confirmed outs for Sunday's game, while veteran backman Jared Rivers – who has been managing an ongoing knee issue – is no certainty to return on Sunday.
Bartel has been cleared to play after passing his concussion test, while Motlop has served his time after being suspended by the club for disciplinary reasons.
The Cats speedster has learnt a harsh lesson from his one-match club imposed suspension for drinking on Good Friday, just three days out from the Cats' round one showdown with Hawthorn on Easter Monday.
"It was an isolated issue. Steve is quite a unique individual and we really believe in treating every individual just as that," Scott said.
"He is an outstanding trainer. He's a fantastic athlete and prepares himself to play AFL football, generally extraordinarily well.
"In this instance, he made a horrible decision that he's extremely embarrassed about.
"The part that I'm proud of is the way it's been handled and more importantly the way he's bounced back."
The Cats have decided to explore a different ruck setup given Gold Coast's athletic ruck duo of Zac Smith and Daniel Gorringe.
"Dawson's a competitive big guy. We won't play Dawson this week because in today's game you need to be more than just a competitive big guy," Scott said.
"You've got to be able to contribute in other parts of the ground as well.
"Dawson's by no means hopeless in those areas, but he hasn't been quite giving us enough."
Scott said veteran defender Mackie, who had already been ruled out of the game against the Suns with a quad strain, would miss more than one week.
"It's going to be longer than one game. It's a little hard to ascertain how long it will be at this stage," Scott said.
"It's a frustrating one for him. It wasn't a clear cut issue so we'll probably know more in the next week or two, but we wouldn't be expecting him to just miss this one and be back. I think it's going to be a bit longer than that."
