Cats coach barely controls his anger after 52-point capitulation to Lions
GEELONG'S fourth-quarter capitulation to the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba has sparked "restrained fury" in coach Chris Scott after he watched his side lose in one of the biggest collapses in VFL/AFL history.
The Cats led by 52 points in the third quarter - and by 40 points six minutes into the final term - before an inspired Lions run turned the match on its head.
A visibly emotional Scott - who was back at the home ground of the club with which he won two premierships - could barely hold back his anger.
“It's extremely disappointing. I'd describe the mood as restrained fury,” Scott said.
“We're going to take the time we need to review it and make an accurate assessment. I'm not going to jump to conclusions now.
“Clearly, I'm emotional, we're emotional. I'm not going to speculate now. We'll move on after we've reviewed (the game) thoroughly. We're certainly not going to sweep this under the carpet.”
Scott has not been happy with his side's performances for many weeks but still could not hide his sense of shock and anger - a feeling shared by his players.
“Of course they are (angry) and so they should be,” Scott said.
“The only thing that matters is we channel that the right way.
“I've been really clear that we haven't been playing well. It's been happening for quite a while.
“Even through the season we've been beating good teams but we've only been playing in fits and spurts.
“We need to improve. It's not lip service. Our players aren't in denial either. We're aware we haven't been playing well enough.
“We haven't had our heads in the sand. We're not kidding ourselves.
"I'm going to work hard with the coaches to do the work required and make sure we address the things we need to address because we play the best two sides in the comp (Fremantle and Hawthorn) in the next fortnight.
“We're in a little more of a fight than we were an hour ago, but we're 10-2 so we've got to keep a little perspective.”
To that end, Scott admitted he had been fortunate in his three seasons at the Cats not to endure many similarly torturous moments at the helm.
“I've been pretty lucky, haven't I - I shouldn't complain too much,” he said.
Timings, contenders, honours: Full W Awards preview
What time does the Best and Fairest count start? Who are the leading contenders? Who's eligible for the Rising Star award? AFL.com.au has you covered with our complete W Awards preview
LATEST PICS: Petracca, Oliver back on track for 2025
Christian Petracca was back at Demons training on a hot day in Melbourne
INS AND OUTS: AFLW pioneer among four Saints delisted
See all your club's list changes ahead of the 2025 AFLW season
Who's hanging up the boots? Your club's retiring players
Check out the latest retirees as they are announced