CHRIS Scott says he won't be over-reacting to Geelong's 0-3 season start and is looking forward to unravelling the mystery of why the Cats are "a little bit off".
Sunday's 19-point loss to Gold Coast completed a hat-trick of defeats to start the Cats' premiership defence, after succumbing to Collingwood and Carlton in the earlier rounds.
It's the first time they've lost three straight since 2017 and the first time a premier has lost the opening three matches of the following season since North Melbourne in 1976.
Against the Suns it was a mixture of poor ball use, not taking opportunities, being beaten badly at stoppages and just a general lack of connectivity that cost the champions.
A philosophical Scott said his team was a bit off, noting that an even competition did not allow the Cats to win when playing below their best.
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"Our execution is off, it doesn't look like the way we play when at our best," he said.
"We've always known, even when we we're going well, if your level slips, you fall back and you're at risk of losing every game you play.
"There's some things that are really obvious to us, we went in eyes wide open with a few of our guys that will get better as the year goes on.
"And some other parts of our game and personnel that are a little bit off and that is harder to explain."
One of the players he is referring to above is spearhead Tom Hawkins, who has kicked just three goals in three games after missing a large chunk of the pre-season following foot surgery.
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Scott said he believes the superstar full-forward is close to being back to his best.
There are also personnel problems in the Cats' backline, with Sam De Koning being subbed out following a third quarter head clash with Nick Holman not helping the synergy.
Scott said Mitch Duncan and Jake Kolodjashnij would return from injury to face Hawthorn next week to help steady the ship.
"We haven't been tested in a position where we've lost three in a row in a while," he said.
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"In a way I'm looking forward to that.
"It's easy to say the words when things are going smoothly. It's been rare to get the opportunity to show how you can fix things.
"The art of coaching, or part of it, is getting the group together and being rational about how we think about things.
"There's very little chance we'll overreact, but you also need to react.
"It's not a matter of saying "she'll be right".
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"There are some parts of our game that are off and we need to fix them as fast as we can."
Scott said it "feels bad" to lose, but wasn't panicking about the premiership defence.
"We could spend a whole lot of time thinking about what it means and referring back to last year, which I get why people do, but it would be a mistake for us to do it.
"I get it, if you fall too far behind it means you've got to win more games in less time, but it is also true if you win a lot of games in a row late, good things can happen.
"And it's possible."
Meanwhile Gold Coast coach Stuart Dew was all smiles following his team's first win of 2023.
It was particularly special in a game where David Swallow became the first player to notch 200 games in club colours.
"He’s always been a giver for this footy club," Dew said.
"He’s been through adversity, and his best is still to come – he’s in great shape, he’s playing impactful footy, I think the way that he leads the boys is team first.
"He's always selfless, always looking out for others, and has … I’m really happy for him and his support crew and family that we got the result that he deserved today."
