Geelong coach Chris Scott says the likely absence of Adelaide key forward Kurt Tippett for Saturday’s AFL clash will not change the Cats’ thinking on how best to replace suspended backman Matthew Scarlett.
The Cats’ star defender will miss the Simonds Stadium encounter, after accepting a ban for striking Essendon’s Cory Dell’Olio last Friday night.
Scott admitted both player and club were disappointed at Scarlett’s second suspension this season.
The Cats expect a selection boost, though, with midfield gun Jimmy Bartel to return from suspension, while Scott is confident forwards James Podsiadly and Allen Christensen should be ready to come back from injury.
Geelong are also optimistic Steve Johnson will overcome groin soreness to keep his spot.
“Our medical staff made a terrific decision to sub him last week and we’re hopeful that decision will mean he’ll be available this week,” Scott said.
Scott said even if Tippett was missing, after sustaining his third concussion in five rounds, it would not alter the type of player Geelong choose to replace Scarlett in defence.
“While we pay a lot of attention to the opposition, the overriding factor for us is what helps us play the way we want to play,” Scott said.
“Obviously, part of that is negating the opposition but, most of the time, we play three tall defenders irrespective of the opposition.”
Tippett was to consult a neurosurgeon in Melbourne this week, with Crows coach Brenton Sanderson saying he was unlikely to face the Cats at Skilled Stadium.
“My gut feeling is that he wouldn’t play this week, but he’d certainly play the week after,” Sanderson told Melbourne’s SEN radio.
Scott said Geelong’s 50-point loss to Adelaide in round seven, when they were 10 goals down by halftime, was their worst performance of the year.
But he said that encounter would have little bearing on Saturday’s rematch, given the way both sides had developed since.
Similarly, Scott said the form his side showed in last Friday night’s big win over Essendon, their best performance of the season, would not automatically flow into the Crows clash.
“The fact that we played well last week doesn’t help us play better on the weekend,” he said.