North Melbourne’s senior coach, Brad Scott, says if the Roos are to be one of the best teams in the competition then the they’ve got to knock off a team like Geelong.
“They’re a contender and they’re still a very good side, if we want to be a good side we’ve got to beat good sides,” Scott told www.nmfc.com.au
Although it’s their turn to make the trip down the highway, Scott is confident that the Roos will make themselves at home, as it's their second visit this year. Nonetheless, he's preparing the Roos for a big test at the Cats fortress.
“We look forward to the challenge, we know it’s going to be a huge...” Scott said.
“They play that ground really well but we’ve trained there and played there pretty well too.
“I mean Geelong’s record is very good down there but we’ve played a couple of preseason games there and one under lights.”
On the last few occasions the contest has tightened between the two sides, although, the Cats ability to uphold their top position is a quality that Scott cannot help but be concerned about.
“You look over the last three or four times we have played them and they’ve been pretty good encounters,” Scott said.
“They had the wood over us a while back and our team in a lot of ways are probably more settled than theirs, which seems strange but that’s a testament to what they’ve been able to do, they’ve been able to transition their list and still remain ultra competitive.”
Already the Roos have faced tough competition this season and Scott believes the one area that has caused them to trip is their lack of consistency.
“We’ve played the top three, four and five in the comp and we’ve been ok but we haven’t been consistent enough, so we’re looking to bring our best every week because that’s what Geelong, Port Adelaide, Hawthorn, Fremantle and Sydney are doing right a the moment,” Scott explained.
Despite the Cats rocky patch since the loss to Port Adelaide, Scott says the Roos won’t be taking any chances when they meet.
“Their record is good at Geelong, their record is good after a six-day-break, then you realise pretty quickly that their record is just pretty good everywhere in every scenario,”
“We expect them to be very close to their best.”
