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Should Cats be allowed to play their prelim in Geelong? ‘Why not?’ says Chris Scott

Steve LarkinAAP
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VideoThe Port Adelaide coach says his team has to move on after they were belted by Geelong in the first week of the AFL finals.

Geelong haven’t played a final at their home ground since the 2013 qualifying final loss to Stephen Hill’s Fremantle, but Chris Scott has responded to the prospect by saying: ‘Why not?’

“It’s a complicated question and an even more complicated answer,” Scott said after Geelong’s win over Port Adelaide.

The Geelong mastermind has booked a remarkable ninth preliminary final in his 14-year tenure.

All of those prelims when played in Victoria have been at the MCG under a contract agreement with the AFL.

After Scott oversaw an 84-point massacre of the Power in Thursday’s qualifying final at Adelaide Oval, he was pragmatic post-match when asked if his club’s preliminary finals should be played in Geelong, before finally settling on: “Why not?”

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“I have always been consistent on this, I might have slipped up every now and again,” Scott said.

“But I think my position has been you should play your home games wherever you want and the AFL run the final series.

“They (the AFL) have got to work out whether that’s the right thing or not and they’re balancing a whole lot of things that I don’t think about that much.

“They’ve got the good of the game front of mind and what’s best for a whole range of stakeholders.

“And all I care about is the Cats so it’s logical that we would disagree when we have those different perspectives.

“But a prelim final (in Geelong)? Oh yeah, why not. It’s a pretty good stadium.”

Bowes
Camera IconJack Bowes celebrates the qualifying-final win over Port with Geelong fans at Adelaide Oval. (Matt Turner/AAP PHOTOS) Credit: AAP

Scott has won three and lost five of his preliminary finals as Geelong coach.

And he said it was a matter of time before more non-Victorian venues hosted more prelims.

“What I will say is prelim finals will be played, at some point, at the Gold Coast or at (the) Giants’ stadium or Hobart,” Scott said.

“When I was younger, I answered these questions poorly.

“Now I’m a bit more experienced, I’ll let you sort of make your analysis and put your opinion forward without giving you too much of what’s in my head - although I’ve already done it, haven’t I?”

CHRIS SCOTT’S PRELIMINARY FINAL RECORD

  • 2011, MCG, won by 48 points against West Coast
  • 2013, MCG: lost by five points to Hawthorn
  • 2016: MCG, lost by 37 points to Sydney
  • 2017: Adelaide Oval, lost by 61 points to Adelaide
  • 2019: MCG, lost by 19 points to Richmond
  • 2020: The Gabba, won by 40 points against Brisbane
  • 2021: Optus Stadium, lost by 83 points to Melbourne
  • 2022: MCG, won by 71 points against Brisbane

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