.Geelong's focus on a sturdy finals project, certainly not beating Slot Adelaide at all prices, paid handsomely after the Cats romped right into a preparatory ultimate without key players Tom Stewart and Sam De Koning.Geelong's premiership tilt was built up considerably on Thursday evening after Chris Scott opted for a traditional approach with the star duo as well as his edge still grumbled to an 84-point win over the disappointing Power.Stewart (hamstring/illness) and De Koning (leg) will certainly right now possess valuable additional time to prepare for the nine initial final of Scott's embellished 14-season tenure.Watch the best insurance coverage of the 2024 AFL finals, with professional analysis and also every activity until the Grand Final cope with no ad-breaks during the course of play, on Kayo. New to Kayo? Begin your cost-free test today > Finals Full week 1IMAGINE WHAT YOU COULD BE BUYING AS AN ALTERNATIVE. For Free and also classified assistance telephone call 1800u00a0858u00a0858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.Jezza opens finals collection with STUNNER!|00:35 PET CATS PLAYER RATINGS:' Off the charts' younger gun loads missing celebrity void as deal pick-ups great' SOME OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE': Superstar Pet Cat STUNS Portress along with addict show ... however it won't succeed goal of the yearSpeaking post-game at the Adelaide Oval, Scott rightly backed in play the long video game with two of his key guardians. "If our team took a risk with those people and it backfired it wouldn't have actually been actually difficult, yet the level of problem would certainly've skyrocketed," Scott clarified." The program was to be conservative with those individuals as well as hopefully still win the activity, so our experts are actually thinking great about that choice now, yet our company are actually not advancing of ourselves.Geelong have actually enrolled their 2 largest triumphes of the 2024 period in back-t0-back games, clean off their 93-point gain West Shoreline that completed their home-and-away season on a high.But as Scott has actually observed in person previously this period against the likes of Carlton and also Gold Coast, it does not take much to be on the inappropriate end of a walloping like what they handed Port Adelaide on Thursday night. "Our company've seen it through the year along with the swings by means of the period ... you're a bit of an off night coming from being horribly trumped," Scott proceeded." We maintain observing that to ensure will definitely keep our feet on the ground." They're perfect examples of when you play well you go, 'Oh, terrific choice' and if our company will possess played improperly it would possess concerned, 'What will've occurred if we 'd possessed Stewart and De Koning?'" Yet our emphasis performs having a great month, certainly not obtaining vicious and making an effort to bluff our method right into a prelim ... you can not perform that in finals." Scott admitted he was still having a hard time the choice to participate in Stewart or not after he grabbed a hamstring grievance in his last day trip before sickness tipped the ranges." He possessed an excellent number of weeks of instruction as well as our team were actually truly confident that he will be right," the trainer pointed out." He remained in total instruction for a session on Monday, our company presumed he was visiting be right, however ... we were still weighing that up." Then he began ahead cognizant a bit of a flu, after that due to the time he got out of bed he was actually crook good enough that he definitely would not play, so it merely type of decided for him as well as our company a little much easier." But, palm on heart, our company were pitching in the direction of certainly not playing him and our company would certainly created the traditional phone call with De Koning at the same time." Stewart was presently competing versus the time clock to use Thursday evening before being stricken with a sickness (Image through Michael Willson/AFL Photos through Getty Images) Resource: Getty ImagesThe transfer to not play Stewart also would certainly possess thrown aspects of Slot Adelaide's plan out the home window also, having actually properly sent out stress onward Jed McEntee to Stewart in their final 3 conferences with frustrating success.Beyond the protective duo nonetheless, Tom Hawkins (foot) and Camera Guthrie (Achilles) are going to play in the VFL on Sunday morning as they seek to drive their claims after long layoffs." Our program during was for all of them to play today so we'll advance with that said," Scott added." Our experts'll keep confident, remain open-minded, keep all the possibilities on the dining table, and make good decisions in the instant." I'll withstand the lure to anticipate too much I could possibly sit right here as well as speculate, as well as it would not help anybody." Regardless of the absence of Hawkins up forward versus the Power, the Felines' forward line shone as bright as any kind of this period - as well as having actually booted 18 behinds for the night, might possess amazingly been ever better.Superstars Jeremy Cameron and also Tyson Stengle finished the night with four objectives apiece, while Gryan Miers and also Shaun Mannagh each kicked three majors. Tom Stewart eliminated of Pussy-cats v Port|02:08 Hawkins' replacement Shannon Neale booted 2.2 from his 9 fingertips and also 9 marks, creating the coming close to variety contact that to decide on in pair of weeks time (pending Hawkins' exercise) even more appealing by the week.Asked if he would like to view an initial final played in Geelong, certainly not the MCG where it will certainly be actually booked, Scott responded with a mischievous gleam in his eye." I presume my posture has actually regularly been actually that you ought to play your home games no matter where you really want," he confessed." Yet the AFL run the finals series as well as they've reached exercise whether that's the appropriate thing or not, and they are actually harmonizing a whole lot of factors that I don't think of that a lot." They've acquired the excellent of the video game front of thoughts and all I respect is the Pussy-cats so it's logical that we would certainly differ when our experts possess those different viewpoints." However a prelim final (in Geelong)? Why certainly not? It is actually a good coliseum." What I am going to say is actually prelim finals will definitely be actually dipped into some aspect at the Gold Coastline, or even at Giants Coliseum, or Hobart.".