Geelong coach Chris Scott believes moving Sam De Koning and Tom Stewart into the thick of the action has made his midfield more dynamic.
But he isn’t wedded to keeping things that way.
With De Koning in the ruck, Stewart was a crucial midfield piece alongside Max Holmes and Patrick Dangerfield in Friday night’s 20-point win over Collingwood.
It was third-placed Geelong’s third win on the bounce, continuing a purple patch where it has looked reinvigorated.
“In the middle (we look more dynamic) because Stewart going in there just does that,” Scott said.
“Holmes has been exceptional all year and Pat played post-bye but he missed so much footy, and he didn’t really look himself the way he has the last few weeks.
“It doesn’t take much in today’s footy to make a few tweaks and it looks like the whole thing’s changed.
“And I think we’ve just played better as a team as well. It hasn’t just been those guys and there’s been a bit of a flow-on effect.”
De Koning had just seven hitouts to Darcy Cameron’s 58 but had 22 disposals.
“We don’t want to get his hand to the ball at the expense of being able to follow up for the next one,” Scott said.
The Cats coach isn’t wedded to keeping defender De Koning in the ruck, flagging a Rhys Stanley return at some point.
“We’ve got an open mind but it’s nice to know that he can do it. I’m pretty sure he won’t play in the ruck full-time for the rest of the year,” he said.
“But I think even because the season is such a marathon, everyone’s trying to build in contingencies and some flexibility.”
With Stewart in midfield, Lawson Humphries, 21, has “slotted in really nicely” in defence and had 23 disposals and 13 marks against the Magpies.
Shannon Neale’s night finished early after a hit to the throat, with Cats football boss Andrew Mackie later confirming he had a bruised larynx.
Tom Stewart was cleared of concussion after a head clash with Collingwood’s Lachie Schultz but had a nasty cut above his eye.
Scott also expressed frustration with how marks were adjudicated on Friday night, believing umpires had been more stringent with the 15-metre minimum distance than usual.
“It was clear wasn’t it? Right from the start, it was like ‘oh, that’s the way they’re picking that one up,'” he said.
“It’s difficult (to umpire) but it’s a focus and when the opposition last week marked the ball a lot and it was clear we were going to try and mark the ball a lot, it’s annoying.
“I’m actually just going to say what I think about this stuff…don’t take it as criticism, necessarily.
“It’s just like, we shouldn’t cover our eyes and say, ‘oh no, it didn’t happen’. It did. You saw it, I saw it. It’s fine.”
