GEELONG coach Chris Scott said season 2023 felt more like "whack-a-mole" than football at times, after a line was put through the reigning premier's season.
The Cats lost to a nearly finals-bound St Kilda by 33 points, beaten in nearly every facet of the game on Saturday night to miss September action for just the second time in Scott's 13 years in charge.
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"It's been a really frustrating year. We haven't really been able to get going at all, it's felt like whack-a-mole to an extent. And tonight was a bit the same, it was reflective of our season," Scott said.
"We were beaten all over the ground. Even though we've been struggling, I don't think there's ever been a situation where I thought our players have given up, it all just really caught up with us tonight.
"There were patches throughout the year where it felt like we had got going, two or three things would go wrong again, and we'd be catching up. The reality is for us at the moment – even if we'd won tonight, we're just not going well enough."
The Cats were without a number of their talls against St Kilda, including Mark Blicavs, Rhys Stanley, Jon Ceglar, Jack Henry and forward Gary Rohan, as well as best and fairest Cam Guthrie, and Scott said the team simply ran out of ways to paper over the gaps.
"There will be time for a thorough analysis. But we thought we were going really well in the pre-season, then we lost all our defenders in one go, and Tom Stewart hurt his knee 15 minutes into round one. It's not so much those injuries or issues in isolation, it's what it means for the flow-on," he said.
"We had a really good run towards the end of last year, where we got everyone back and playing really well, and this year, we had guys playing who for various reasons couldn't play their best.
"We've felt like we've needed to chase things in terms of the way we play, that in hindsight, have been a little bit desperate, where we just weren't going well enough. The best teams – and it was the way we felt last year – don't need to invent anything, the way we play will work against anyone. That hasn't been the case for us for a long time.
"And sometimes when you try to do that, you can fall apart a little bit, which it felt like at times this year, we've felt disorganised because we're trying to pull a rabbit out of a hat."
St Kilda coach Ross Lyon was at his philosophical best as the Saints edged closer to playing finals, and said he was hopeful Seb Ross had suffered only a three-week hamstring injury.
"It's hard to put into words, post-game. Simply, we're not (yet) a lock for finals, the Adelaide result – it's ironic, isn't it, the padding at the back of the post – but that's just life, isn't it. We're not a lock, which it looked like at some point," Lyon said.
"What I'm pleased about is our method and style of play, I thought we were aggressive, we were bold. Obviously accuracy – which has been a bit of a strength – was a bit of a letdown tonight and kept Geelong in the game.
"I feel like we've taken a step forward with our football, it's good for our fans and members to see that. It was nice to see some senior players back, like Tim (Membrey) and Max (King). And Jack Steele, who was mostly on (Patrick) Dangerfield tonight, he was running freely and feeling good about himself. (Zaine) Cordy has been able to step up in the absence of Dougal Howard."
Lyon said no extra focus was put on the game despite the importance in the race for the top eight.
"It was a high-stakes game. Can you try any harder, week-on-week? We try and prepare every week like it's a final to be honest, otherwise you never get to them," Lyon said.
"There was no change in routine, there was no extra meetings, no extra training sessions, we just did what we do. Focused on continuous improvement, break down the opposition – my line coaches (Lenny) Hayes, (Corey) Enright and (Robert) Harvey were outstanding, and our opposition coach Sam Mooney – but guess what, we'll breathe out tonight and then we'll watch Brisbane.
"They're red-hot, the equivalent of the best team in the comp, and we have to go up there and win to secure a finals spot. The challenges just keep coming at AFL level."
