Geelong have not started a season 0-3 throughout their period of sustained success, but that is of little concern to coach Chris Scott now and won't be even if his team is left facing that prospect after Sunday's season-shaping match against Gold Coast.
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If you were a Geelong supporter looking for clarity around where your transitioning team sits in the bigger picture this season, Scott delivered a frank message on Thursday ahead of the Simonds Stadium match-up with the Suns, a team also staring down a 0-3 start should it lose and missing superstar Gary Ablett.
"I'm sick to death of hearing about what Geelong used to be," Scott said. "We're focused on what we are now, what we need to bring this week and what we're going to be like later in the season. I don't care about what happened in previous years… I care about Geelong moving forward."
Not since 2004 have the Cats slumped to 0-3, a season when a team featuring a clutch of the Cats' still-active veterans turned around the poor start to reach a preliminary final. That stands as one of the few seasons in recent memory in which a club has been able to recover so impressively from 0-3.
Yet while he conceded after last week's loss to Fremantle that the Cats' current plight was a "different place for guys who are used to winning most weeks", Scott was unconcerned by the potential doomsday scenario history suggests Geelong would find themselves in should they lose this week.
"We'll let the talk and speculation … the stuff that is immaterial to us happen outside these four walls," the coach said.
The Suns and new coach Rodney Eade have faced the media blowtorch this week following shock losses to Melbourne and St Kilda. If they bring improved effort and hunger this week, then Scott said it would be matched by Geelong, who have conceded more than 100 points in both weeks, albeit against quality opposition.
"We don't need to play nice, it doesn't' need to be a pretty game this week," Scott said. "We need to play hard, tough footy and be really hard to score against."
The Cats, as expected, will be bolstered by the return of star midfielders Jimmy Bartel and Steven Motlop, however Andrew Mackie will miss with a leg injury that Scott said would keep him out for more than one match.
Dawson Simpson looks set to be left out, with Scott honestly appraising the big man as needing to provide more in different areas other than competitive effort in ruck duels.
Veteran defender Jared Rivers is no certainty to play as he manages an ongoing knee issue, while back-up key forward Josh Walker will be added to the extended squad on the back of a strong run at VFL level.
Bartel will return after sitting out last week's loss to Fremantle because of the concussion he suffered against Hawthorn the week before, while Motlop comes in after serving a club suspension for drinking three days out from the round-one loss on Easter Monday.
"It was an isolated issue. Steve is quite a unique individual and we really believe in treating every individual just as that," Scott said.
"In this instance, he made a horrible decision that he's extremely embarrassed about. The part that I'm proud of is the way it's been handled and, more importantly, the way he's bounced back."
