GEELONG Coach Chris Scott spoke to media ahead of Geelong’s Round 3 Easter Monday Blockbuster against Hawthorn.

Here are the key takeaways from today's press conference at GMHBA Stadium, presented by Morris Finance.

Scott Expects Duncan to Play

He is looking really good. Our plan all along and it has been seamless over the last say two-and-a-half weeks was to have him ready for Monday, so those plans could always change at the last minute and we do have a bias towards conservatism with that sort of thing but so far, the plan has been executed. There is still a bit of time before Monday, and I would like to still see a bit more today and speak to him, but I would expect him to play. 

O’Connor In the Middle Helps Cats

For a while now we’ve had too many defenders that we want on our 22 for the number of defensive spots. We want all those guys in the team but eight, nine or ten defenders is too many, so having him in the midfield mix especially with (Patrick) Dangerfield, we are not sure if (Sam) Menegola will come up and there are a few others unavailable - I think it helps us.

We have thought for a while that he would develop into a midfielder but that presupposes that you prioritise guys that play midfield over back and I am not in that category. I love gun half back flankers - Like a lot of our players we are trying to develop them into flexible players. I speak about it all the time, but you want some really flexible players with levers to pull but a really cohesive group as well.

Scott On Helping Smith Plan to play his former teammates

We have to plan for it, I think. I think it is naïve to say that it is just another game Isaac and just get one with it, but he tends to be proactive when it comes to that banter from what I can see especially when he was in the brown and gold so it’s always a balance there of being careful enough or being prepared enough to know that it’s not going to be a normal game and there might be a bit more banter because those guys know each other without it taking you off track. So, think about it a little but prioritise the most important things. I suspect it will be good theatre and those guys will know.

Scott on the fierce rivalry with Hawthorn

The way I choice to frame it, both for myself and our players and our footy club is that it is a privilege to get the opportunity to play in these games and not every player that is good enough to play AFL footy gets to play in these games and it’s a metaphor for life. All your success is a product of your individual brilliance. I am so lucky to be a part of the Geelong Football Club that gets to play in Easter Monday every single year, whether we are on the bottom of the ladder or not, so we should approach it with the respect that it deserves. We have the utmost respect for them but love beating them, and I feel them would be the same.

Scott on the possibility of Jeremy Cameron returning next week

I think so. That is the way it is tracking. I think in a normal scenario he could play on Monday, so that leads me to believe that he will pay the following Sunday. I think you will see him moving pretty well today.

Scott on Hawthorn’s early season form

That have got great ability to score. If you have lapses in games Hawthorn have the ability to really punish you which they did after being a long way back against Essendon. I thought they were really competitive against the outstanding team in the competition last week. If 10 years has taught me anything about Easter Monday, it’s not to focus too much on the previous week or two or month or year – It’s going to be a fiercely contested hot game.

Scott on if Max Holmes is a chance to make his debut

Yep. Between a 10 and 90 percent chance.