.Geelong's pay attention to a tough finals initiative, not trumping Port Adelaide whatsoever costs, paid off handsomely after the Cats pranced right into a preliminary last without key players Tom Stewart and Sam De Koning.Geelong's premiership tilt was actually built up considerably on Thursday evening after Chris Scott went for a conventional technique with the celebrity duo and also his edge still grumbled to an 84-point win over the unsatisfying Power.Stewart (hamstring/illness) as well as De Koning (leg) will definitely today have valuable extra opportunity to plan for the 9th preparatory ultimate of Scott's adorned 14-season tenure.Watch the best coverage of the 2024 AFL finals, with expert review as well as every activity up until the Grand Final cope with no ad-breaks in the course of play, on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your complimentary test today > Finals Full week 1IMAGINE WHAT YOU MIGHT BE GETTING INSTEAD. Absolutely free and confidential help phone call 1800u00a0858u00a0858 or go to gamblinghelponline.org.au.Jezza opens finals series with STUNNER!|00:35 PET CATS GAMER SCORES:' Off the graphes' younger gun fills up overlooking star space as discount pick-ups brilliant' SOME OF THE BEST': Super Star Pussy-cat STUNS Portress with fan act ... however it will not gain goal of the yearSpeaking post-game at the Adelaide Oval, Scott rightly supported in play the lengthy activity with two of his essential protectors. "If we took a threat with those individuals and also it backfired it definitely would not have been inconceivable, but the degree of problem would certainly possess risen," Scott revealed." The program was actually to be traditional with those individuals as well as ideally still succeed the game, so our experts are actually believing great concerning that decision currently, yet our experts are actually not progressing of ourselves.Geelong have enrolled their pair of biggest wins of the 2024 season in back-t0-back video games, new off their 93-point gain West Coastline that completed their home-and-away season on a high.But as Scott has actually viewed first-hand earlier this time against the likes of Carlton as well as Gold Shore, it doesn't take a lot to be on the wrong end of a drubbing like what they handed Port Adelaide on Thursday evening. "Our experts've persevered the year along with the swings with the season ... you're a little bit of an off evening coming from being badly trumped," Scott carried on." Our team keep finding that to ensure that will keep our feets on the ground." They're excellent examples of when you play effectively you go, 'Oh, great selection' and also if our team will possess participated in improperly it would possess been about, 'What will possess happened if we will had Stewart as well as De Koning?'" However our concentration gets on possessing an excellent month, not getting vicious and also making an effort to bluff our method into a prelim ... you can't perform that in finals." Scott admitted he was actually still struggling with the selection to play Stewart or not after he grabbed a hamstring problem in his final day trip prior to illness hinted the ranges." He had an excellent number of full weeks of instruction and our experts were definitely optimistic that he would correct," the train pointed out." He remained in total instruction for a treatment on Monday, our team believed he was heading to be right, but ... our team were actually still evaluating that up." After that he began to come cognizant a bit of a flu, at that point due to the opportunity he got out of bed he was criminal good enough that he would not participate in, so it simply type of made the decision for him and also our company a little much easier." Yet, palm on soul, our team were leaning towards not playing him as well as we would certainly produced the traditional call with De Koning at the same time." Stewart was actually currently dashing versus the clock to use Thursday night just before falling victim to an ailment (Image by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images) Source: Getty ImagesThe move to certainly not play Stewart likewise would certainly have tossed aspects of Slot Adelaide's plan out the window too, having properly sent out tension forward Jed McEntee to Stewart in their last 3 conferences with overwhelming success.Beyond the protective duo nonetheless, Tom Hawkins (feet) and also Cam Guthrie (Achilles) will definitely play in the VFL on Sunday morning as they attempt to drive their claims after lengthy cutbacks." Our program all along was actually for them to play recently so our experts'll push on with that," Scott added." Our team'll keep optimistic, stay open-minded, keep all the options on the table, and make good choices in the second." I'll withstand the lure to forecast excessive I can sit right here and suppose, and it wouldn't help any person." Regardless of the lack of Hawkins up forward against the Energy, the Kitties' forward line shone as intense as any type of this time - and also having actually booted 18 behinds for the night, might possess extremely been ever before better.Superstars Jeremy Cameron and also Tyson Stengle ended up the evening along with four targets each, while Gryan Miers and Shaun Mannagh each kicked 3 majors. Tom Stewart ruled out of Pussy-cats v Slot|02:08 Hawkins' substitute Shannon Neale kicked 2.2 from his nine fingertips and also nine marks, making the moving toward collection call on who to select in pair of full weeks opportunity (pending Hawkins' exercise) a lot more intriguing due to the week.Asked if he want to view a preparatory last played in Geelong, not the MCG where it will definitely be booked, Scott answered along with a wicked shimmer in his eye." I think my posture has actually regularly been actually that you need to play your home games anywhere you prefer," he admitted." But the AFL manage the finals set and also they've reached work out whether that's the right thing or not, and they are actually balancing a whole lot of things that I do not think of that a lot." They have actually acquired the really good of the game front end of mind plus all I appreciate is actually the Pussy-cats so it's reasonable that our team will disagree when our team have those different perspectives." Yet a prelim last (in Geelong)? Why certainly not? It is actually a good arena." What I am going to mention is prelim finals will certainly be actually played at some aspect at the Gold Coast, or at Giants Arena, or Hobart.".