GEELONG coach Chris Scott won't be getting carried away with his new-look Cats' season-opening triumph despite his off-season changes receiving a big first-up tick.
Scott's side featured six club debutants, in top-15 draftee Jordan Clark, high-profile free agent Luke Dahlhaus and ex-Swan Gary Rohan, as well as Tom Atkins, Gryan Miers and Charlie Constable.
They all made a positive impression – to varying degrees – and their arrivals coincided with a renewed defensive focus that paid immediate dividends in a seven-point defeat of Collingwood at the MCG on Friday night.
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"We, as a collective football club, were really proud of them," Scott told reporters of his senior newcomers.
"We thought they all executed their role, as we thought they would.
"It wasn't a great surprise to us that they delivered, in terms of their role – that's why we picked them – but one of the really pleasing things is they didn't look overawed by the occasion.
"Not many young players get the opportunity on a Friday night, in a big game against Collingwood, (tied at) three-quarter time, to actually contribute to a win.
"So hopefully that will give them some confidence. We've got a long way to go and there's a lot of growth in them, but we are excited."
Not that Scott was quite ready to pop the champagne corks just yet or slap himself on the back for the facelift he gave a team that bowed out in the first week of last year's finals.
"I think it will take a lot longer than that for us to feel as if we've been endorsed by the footy world," the coach said.
"Whenever you win a close game like this against good opposition, there's an element of luck in there.
"But, for our players and our footy club – and our supporters as well – I think they could look at some of the new players out there and think, 'Well, OK, it actually makes sense why they're in our best 22 at the moment'."
The frantic final moments were made that much tougher for Scott and his coaching staff without being able to use runners like they could in the same situation last year.
The much-discussed AFL rule change regarding runners, announced in October, gives sides the opportunity to deliver on-field messages only after goals this season.
"It's an absolute nightmare, but it doesn't make it a bad rule," Scott said.
"It makes it harder to coach. I think Steve Hocking said coaches will feel a bit nude. Yeah, that's exactly how it feels.
"(However) my view is that, especially late in games like that, coaching is a little bit overrated.
"You always feel a bit helpless, but when you can't get messages out there as well, then you really are backing the work that the coaching staff put in – and the senior players, they contribute to it a lot during the week (too)."
