Geelong coach Chris Scott acknowledges the challenges his side faces after Gold Coast handed them a record-breaking defeat in Darwin on Thursday night. The Suns’ scorching form continued with a dominant 26.8 (164) to 15.10 (100) victory over the struggling Cats, marking the largest winning margin Gold Coast has ever achieved against Geelong in the AFL.
The Suns’ 164 points also shattered their previous club record of 148, set against Greater Western Sydney in 2013. This impressive win propels Damien Hardwick’s Suns to sixth place on the ladder with a 6-4 win-loss record, while Geelong’s recent slide sees them lose their third consecutive match after defeats to Melbourne and Port Adelaide.
Scott, whose team were early season frontrunners with seven straight wins, admitted the recent downturn is cause for concern. “It’s not like we have a history of playing this poorly consistently, so we always tend to look on the bright side and try to find the positives,” Scott said after the match.
Despite the disappointing result, Geelong still holds second place on the ladder momentarily, but Scott emphasized the need for introspection and improvement before their next match against GWS.
Geelong faced significant challenges heading into the Darwin clash, missing Jeremy Cameron (concussion), Patrick Dangerfield (hamstring), and Sam De Koning (hamstring tightness). The decision to rest Tom Hawkins, Mitch Duncan, and Rhys Stanley also sparked criticism, with some questioning the team’s competitive spirit in the absence of key players. Despite the setbacks, Scott remains committed to addressing the team’s issues without overreacting.
“We certainly need to analyze it,” Scott said. “When we win, we feel really good about it, and when you lose, you go and analyze everything.”
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