Geelong coach Chris Scott has the highest winning percentage of any coach with over 100 games, yet it doesn’t make losing any easier. Scott has opened up about the toll that losing games takes on him in a wide-ranging interview on the Howie Games podcast with Mark Howard.
“I let it get to me too much,” Scott said.
“I listened to Nathan Buckley talk about his ability to move past poor performance or losses. I have a lot of admiration for him there because that isn’t me. I take the losses really hard. It’s a skill I haven’t been able to develop over time.”
Scott admits that losses cut him to the core, but that he can look ahead when it comes to the next challenge.
“The way it manifests for me if we lose is that I rarely sleep, and when I do its almost to the minute that I am (awake) at 3am thinking about all the things I could have done. I take it really personally,” he said.
“I (know) there is so much out of my control but I haven’t been able to convince myself that’s the case.
“What I have been better at is working through the fact that sometimes you can’t change the way you feel, but to an extent the way you feel doesn’t matter. You have to keep delivering. The 24 hours after a loss I feel horrific, but there is work to be done and you have to get back on the horse.”
The Cats have won 69% of 216 games since Scott took over as coach, making the finals in eight of nine seasons and winning the 2011 premiership. The winning has continued as the Cats have rebuilt their list over the period.
