CHRIS Scott remains confident that the Cats can respond in the second week of the finals following their 16-point loss to Port Adelaide in the first qualifying final on Thursday night.
Geelong had just as many opportunities on the night in front of goal, but were wasteful finishing with 5.12 (42) to Port Adelaide's 9.4 (58).
"It's always a fine line at this time of the year," Scott said post-match.
"We probably had control of the game for large periods, we certainly had our chances to win the game but I wouldn't say we were the dominant team, but it was pretty even.
"They took their chances, got some easier shots than we did, but we certainly had enough scores and had enough chances to win the game."
"We would have liked to of played better, there is no doubt about that and Port deserved their win, but I didn't think we were without our chances.
"It's a bitter pill to swallow at the moment, but I don't think we will come away from the game thinking we are off the pace."
Scott said character built throughout 2020 would drive Geelong into next week's semi-final to be played against the winner of the West Coast-Collingwood elimination final.
"This year we've performed well under adversity."
"We've had our patches where we haven't gone that well and bounced back, both post-games and within games.
"I've got a lot of faith in the character of our group.
"If we don't perform well (next week), I'd be very, very surprised if we look back and thought, 'The character and the strength of will was the biggest issue'.
"I've got a lot of confidence in the resilience and the capacity of our players."
Geelong will now be keen observers of the first elimination final as they await who they will play next week.
