GEELONG won't drop its guard against St Kilda despite wins against top four opponents in the past three weeks, says Cats coach Chris Scott. 

The ladder leaders don't have to look too far back to be reminded of the dangers  teams sitting lower on the ladder can pose, with losses to Collingwood and Carlton in round nine and 10 fresh in the memory.  

Scott said even though he expected Nick Riewoldt and young key forward Paddy McCartin to return, the Saints’ forward set-up was unpredictable. 

"Offensively they are a real threat, they move the ball fast and their football is built around pressure and work around the contest," Scott said. 

"It would be naive to think their pressure won't be a problem for us at times."

He said the Saints presented a challenge at Etihad for every team and the Cats were determined to be at their best.

"I'm not telling you we are definitely going to win but I am telling you we are definitely going to be prepared," Scott said. 

Scott said the match committee had resisted the temptation to bring talented forward Mitch Clark into the team before the bye even though his form since returning to the VFL has been excellent. 

"It was really tempting to bring him in because he played a couple of really good games at VFL level," Scott said. 

"We know from the numbers that he is fitter than he has ever been in his time at Geelong so that gives us great confidence that post the bye he'll be ready to contribute, but even then there is no great rush," Scott said. 

Scott said the Cats ideally wanted Clark to be a factor later in the season as, at his best, he would clearly have a spot in the team.

Despite losing Josh Caddy for six to eight weeks, the Cats are building their depth with Nakia Cockatoo a chance to play VFL on Sunday after making a quicker than expected recovery from a knee injury and recruit Scott Selwood due to play after the bye following shoulder problems. 

Scott said there was plenty of room for improvement, with several individuals capable of playing better football.

He said the opposition had scored too easily at times in recent weeks and the Cats' skill level could improve. 

"There are some really fundamental obvious things that we think can improve and even if you touch on mindset, the challenge for us is to keep improving our game," Scott said.