Success attracts
Chris Scott says success enables the club to retain players
Taylor is yet to sign a new contract but Geelong CEO Brian Cook said on Saturday that the in-demand West Australian defender had agreed to terms on three or four-year deal.
Scott told Channel Seven's AFL Gameday on Sunday he hadn't heard the news of Taylor's re-signing but added he would be "ecstatic" if it was true.
"Given our CEO Brian Cook's saying it's true, I'd tend to believe him," he said.
Scott went on to claim that Geelong's continued ability to push itself into premiership contention made it a more attractive destination for young players seeking an AFL career.
Cats star Jimmy Bartel had earlier told the program that Greater Western Sydney and Gold Coast were the best places any draftee could find themselves, given the two expansion clubs' commitment to development.
"I think it's a pretty nice carrot to dangle: the team success that Geelong's been able to enjoy," he said.
"The challenge for us is convincing the players that the team success is still available to them. Our current group of senior players clearly think that it's possible and our younger players are learning a lot from (the likes of) Jim.
"It's not too often I disagree with Jim but I would say for a young draftee, learning from Bartel and (James) Kelly and (Joel) Selwood might even be better than going to GWS or the Gold Coast."
Meanwhile, Scott conceded that veteran utility Paul Chapman could still be eight weeks away from full fitness as he battles to recover from a persistent hamstring complaint.
Chapman's last game was against the Sydney Swans in round four but Scott was "extremely confident" he would play senior football against this season.
"He had quite a minor hamstring injury and then had a slight recurrence a week or two ago," he said.
"Now we've decided we need to be really, really careful and make sure that when he's absolutely 100 per cent with the hamstring, we take the time to condition him and get some match fitness through the VFL.
"That could be anywhere between three weeks and eight weeks. We're not prepared to be definite about it."
Scott also said there was no guarantee that free-agency recruit Hamish McIntosh would be able to regain full fitness from knee and Achilles problems.
However he was confident that Geelong's tall stocks - including Tom Hawkins, Nathan Vardy, Mark Blicavs and Trent West - would produce a combination equal to any opposition challenge.