Geelong coach Chris Scott 'didn't envisage' 14-goal mauling of Port Adelaide
Geelong coach Chris Scott has admitted he "didn't envisage" his side's qualifying final against Port Adelaide playing out the way it did.
The Cats stormed home at the Adelaide Oval to record an 84-point mauling of the Power, in one of their strongest finals performances away from home.
Geelong booked their spot in a home preliminary final at the MCG, their ninth appearance in that game in the last 14 years.
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But the win came as a bit of a shock to the two-time premiership coach.
The Cats held the Power to just one goal after half time, as they piled on 20 of their own across the entire match, in front of a hostile Port Adelaide crowd.
Chris Scott looks on during Geelong's qualifying final against Port Adelaide. AFL Photos via Getty Images
"We didn't envisage it playing out like that," Scott said post match.
The last time the two sides met was in round nine, when the Power kicked 12 goals to Geelong's five at the main break, before the Cats almost clawed back, losing by just six points in the end.
"We have so much respect for what Port Adelaide can do when they are hot, last time we played them down at Geelong, they were hot early," Scott said.
"If anything, that made us think hard about how we were playing at the time."
Patrick Dangerfield of the Cats leads his team off after winning the AFL Second Qualifying Final match between Port Adelaide Power and Geelong Cats at Adelaide Oval, on September 05, 2024, in Adelaide, Australia. (Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images) Getty
This time around, it was Scott's men in complete control, taking apart Port Adelaide's midfield and winning the clearances 40-36 for the match.
The Cats made the late call to pull star defender Tom Stewart just two hours before the first bounce, citing illness as the reason for his absence.
But Scott admitted they were preparing to play without Stewart as early as the night before, when he experienced flu-like symptoms.
"Obviously we had some concerns to work through, we were still thinking through the Tom Stewart situation and even the Sam De Koning one a little bit, even though we had made that call already," he said.
Geelong will host Sydney, GWS, Brisbane or Carlton at the MCG in a preliminary final in two weeks' time.
