.Geelong's focus on a tough finals campaign, certainly not trumping Slot Adelaide in any way costs, paid handsomely after the Cats pranced in to a preliminary last without key players Tom Stewart and Sam De Koning.Geelong's premiership tilt was boosted dramatically on Thursday night after Chris Scott chose a conventional method with the superstar duo as well as his edge still rumbled to an 84-point draw the unsatisfactory Power.Stewart (hamstring/illness) and De Koning (leg) will definitely presently have priceless extra time to prepare for the ninth preparatory final of Scott's enhanced 14-season tenure.Watch the greatest protection of the 2024 AFL finals, with pro evaluation and every activity up until the Grand Final cope with no ad-breaks during play, on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your cost-free trial today > Finals Week 1IMAGINE WHAT YOU MIGHT BE GETTING AS AN ALTERNATIVE. Free of cost and classified assistance phone call 1800u00a0858u00a0858 or even visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.Jezza opens up finals series along with astonishment!|00:35 PUSSY-CATS PLAYER RATINGS:' Off the charts' younger weapon fills missing out on star void as bargain pick-ups dazzling' AMONG THE MOST EFFECTIVE': Celebrity Feline STUNS Portress along with freak act ... but it won't succeed goal of the yearSpeaking post-game at the Adelaide Oval, Scott rightly backed in play the long activity with 2 of his vital protectors. "If our company took a risk along with those people and it backfired it would not have actually been impossible, but the level of problem would've gone through the roof," Scott revealed." The program was to be traditional along with those people and hopefully still succeed the game, so our company are actually thinking excellent concerning that choice now, however we're not progressing of ourselves.Geelong have actually registered their pair of most significant triumphes of the 2024 time in back-t0-back games, fresh off their 93-point gain West Shore that completed their home-and-away time on a high.But as Scott has actually observed first-hand previously this time versus the similarity Carlton as well as Gold Coastline, it does not take much to be on the inappropriate end of a drubbing like what they handed Slot Adelaide on Thursday night. "We have actually seen it through the year along with the swings through the period ... you're a bit of an off evening from being badly defeated," Scott continued." Our team always keep seeing that so that will definitely maintain our feets on the ground." They're ideal instances of when you play properly you go, 'Oh, great selection' and also if our team 'd have participated in inadequately it will have been about, 'What would certainly possess happened if our company will possessed Stewart and De Koning?'" However our emphasis gets on possessing a really good month, not receiving vicious as well as making an effort to bluff our technique right into a prelim ... you can not do that in finals." Scott admitted he was still struggling with the choice to play Stewart or not after he grabbed a hamstring issue in his final trip before ailment tipped the scales." He had a good number of full weeks of training and also we were actually definitely optimistic that he would certainly be right," the coach claimed." He resided in total instruction for a treatment on Monday, our team thought he was actually going to correct, but ... we were still evaluating that up." After that he started to follow down with a little an influenza, then due to the time he awakened he was actually crook good enough that he would not play, so it only type of decided for him and our company a small amount much easier." Yet, hand on soul, we were actually leaning in the direction of certainly not playing him and our experts will created the conservative call along with De Koning also." Stewart was presently competing against the clock to use Thursday evening just before coming down with an illness (Picture through Michael Willson/AFL Photos using Getty Images) Source: Getty ImagesThe relocate to not play Stewart likewise will have thrown aspects of Slot Adelaide's plan the home window also, having properly delivered pressure forward Jed McEntee to Stewart in their final 3 meetings with mind-boggling success.Beyond the defensive duo nevertheless, Tom Hawkins (foot) and also Webcam Guthrie (Achilles) will play in the VFL on Sunday early morning as they try to press their cases after lengthy cutbacks." Our program during was for them to play this week so our company'll advance with that," Scott included." Our team'll stay hopeful, remain unbiased, maintain all the alternatives on the dining table, and also make great decisions in the second." I'll stand up to the lure to forecast a lot of I can rest right here and also suppose, and also it definitely would not help any person." Despite the absence of Hawkins up ahead against the Electrical power, the Pussy-cats' forward line shone as brilliant as any this time - as well as having actually booted 18 behinds for the night, could possibly possess extremely been actually ever before better.Superstars Jeremy Cameron as well as Tyson Stengle ended up the evening with 4 goals apiece, while Gryan Miers and also Shaun Mannagh each kicked three majors. Tom Stewart eliminated of Felines v Slot|02:08 Hawkins' replacement Shannon Neale kicked 2.2 from his nine fingertips and 9 symbols, creating the approaching choice call on who to select in pair of weeks time (hanging Hawkins' exercise) even more appealing by the week.Asked if he would love to view an initial last played in Geelong, certainly not the MCG where it will undoubtedly be actually planned, Scott responded with a troublesome shimmer in his eye." I presume my posture has constantly been that you must play your home games any place you really want," he confessed." Yet the AFL run the finals series and they've reached work out whether that's the right trait or not, and they are actually harmonizing a whole lot of traits that I don't think of that a lot." They have actually acquired the great of the activity front end of thoughts and all I love is the Cats so it is actually rational that our experts would disagree when we have those different standpoints." But a prelim final (in Geelong)? Why certainly not? It is actually a pretty good stadium." What I am going to state is prelim finals will be played at some point at the Gold Coastline, or even at Giants Stadium, or Hobart.".