A "CAUTIOUSLY positive" Chris Scott was wary not to over-celebrate Geelong's 2-0 start to the season but is already seeing signs his Cats are better than the 2018 version.
Geelong's 80-point demolition of Melbourne at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday night came despite having 25 fewer inside 50s and losing the clearances by 10.
This was a performance built on brutal efficiency and highlighted the effectiveness of the Cats' new forward set-up, with newcomers Luke Dahlhaus, Gary Rohan and Tom Atkins all prominent.
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Dahlhaus and Atkins combined for 19 tackles, while Rohan chipped in three goals to revel in the wet conditions.
"Not only have we not had a consistent group out there on game day, but we didn't have a consistent group together in our forward half across previous pre-seasons," Scott said.
"We were able to do that this year and we saw really positive signs from Dahlhaus and Rohan, in particular, then Tom Atkins a bit later in the pre-season.
"It gave us room for optimism. We're not surprised they're enjoying their footy down there, but we're also cognisant of the fact that it's two games and the competition's going to be really even.
"It was a nice result for us, but we're already looking ahead to another one of the logical premiership favourites (Adelaide) next week."
WATCH Chris Scott's full post-match press conference
Scott was in good form at his post-match media conference.
He spoke about how "behavioural economists would have a field day" with the popular stat in the season's early going about how unlikely it was to make the finals from 0-2, the Demons' record.
Part of that commentary seemed to be about downplaying Geelong's impressive opening to the year, which includes a narrow win over Collingwood.
Scott also made a concerted effort to highlight the quick turnaround to Thursday night's clash with the Crows, which is "not even next week, it's five days' time, isn't it?".
Either way, Geelong has put extensive planning into dealing with this period, according to the coach.
Jack Henry (tight hamstring) sat out the majority of the second half as part of that approach.
"It's a very real possibility that the team that played tonight won't play next week, and that won't necessarily be a reflection of form and, again, a lot of planning has gone into it," Scott said.
"Our VFL team played today and not many of those guys played high minutes. I'll say it once for the week – if we play poorly this week, it won't be because of our preparation."
Defender Lachie Henderson, a surprise omission in the opening fortnight, played only about a half of Saturday's VFL practice match and Scott said he was a "strong contender" to return.
Scott was pleased with the leadership his less-experienced players demonstrated, his side's ability to crush Melbourne in contested possession in the first term, and his defenders' overall efforts.
