.Geelong's focus on a tough finals project, certainly not trumping Port Adelaide at all expenses, repaid handsomely after the Cats romped into a preparatory final without principals Tom Stewart and Sam De Koning.Geelong's premiership tilt was built up significantly on Thursday evening after Chris Scott went with a traditional technique with the star duo and his side still roared to an 84-point sway the unsatisfactory Power.Stewart (hamstring/illness) and also De Koning (leg) will definitely right now have priceless additional time to get ready for the nine preliminary last of Scott's enhanced 14-season tenure.Watch the most ideal protection of the 2024 AFL finals, along with professional study as well as every activity up until the Grand Final deal with no ad-breaks during play, on Kayo. New to Kayo? Beginning your free trial today > Finals Week 1IMAGINE WHAT YOU MIGHT BE BUYING RATHER. Totally free as well as classified help telephone call 1800u00a0858u00a0858 or even go to gamblinghelponline.org.au.Jezza opens finals set along with STUNNER!|00:35 CATS PLAYER RANKINGS:' Off the charts' younger gun fills up skipping star space as discount pick-ups dazzling' ONE OF THE MOST IDEAL': Superstar Cat STUNS Portress along with freak act ... but it won't succeed objective of the yearSpeaking post-game at the Adelaide Oval, Scott rightly backed in play the lengthy video game along with 2 of his key guardians. "If our company took a danger along with those guys and it backfired it definitely would not have been actually impossible, yet the degree of trouble will've skyrocketed," Scott described." The program was to be conventional along with those fellas and perhaps still win the game, so our team are actually believing good about that selection right now, but our company are actually not being successful of ourselves.Geelong have actually enrolled their two largest wins of the 2024 season in back-t0-back video games, new off their 93-point gain West Shore that completed their home-and-away season on a high.But as Scott has actually observed first-hand earlier this season versus the likes of Carlton as well as Gold Shoreline, it does not take much to be on the inappropriate end of a walloping like what they handed Port Adelaide on Thursday night. "Our experts've seen it through the year with the swings by means of the season ... you are actually a small amount of an off night from being actually poorly beaten," Scott continued." Our team maintain observing that in order that will certainly keep our feet on the ground." They're excellent instances of when you play effectively you go, 'Oh, fantastic decision' as well as if our team will have participated in inadequately it would possess been about, 'What would possess happened if our team 'd possessed Stewart as well as De Koning?'" Yet our focus performs having a really good month, not acquiring acute and attempting to bluff our means in to a prelim ... you can't carry out that in finals." Scott accepted he was actually still dealing with the choice to play Stewart or otherwise after he picked up a hamstring grievance in his final day trip just before illness hinted the scales." He had an excellent number of full weeks of training and our company were truly hopeful that he would correct," the instructor pointed out." He remained in total training for a treatment on Monday, our experts thought he was visiting correct, yet ... our company were actually still weighing that up." Then he started to follow down with a little bit of a flu, at that point by the time he got up he was criminal good enough that he definitely would not play, so it simply type of made the decision for him and also our company a small amount simpler." However, hand on center, our team were actually pitching in the direction of certainly not playing him and also our company 'd produced the conventional telephone call with De Koning at the same time." Stewart was currently competing versus the clock to play on Thursday evening before catching an illness (Image through Michael Willson/AFL Photos by means of Getty Images) Source: Getty ImagesThe transfer to certainly not participate in Stewart likewise would have tossed factors of Port Adelaide's plan the window too, having successfully sent tension onward Jed McEntee to Stewart in their last 3 conferences with overwhelming success.Beyond the defensive duo however, Tom Hawkins (foot) and also Camera Guthrie (Achilles) will certainly play in the VFL on Saturday morning as they seek to press their claims after long unemployments." Our planning the whole time was actually for them to play recently so we'll push on with that said," Scott added." We'll keep hopeful, stay broad-minded, maintain all the options on the table, and also make great choices in the moment." I'll withstand the urge to anticipate too much I could rest here and also guess, as well as it definitely would not aid anyone." Despite the absence of Hawkins up ahead versus the Energy, the Felines' foremost line shone as bright as any kind of this time - and having kicked 18 behinds for the night, can possess extremely been ever better.Superstars Jeremy Cameron as well as Tyson Stengle completed the night along with 4 targets apiece, while Gryan Miers and also Shaun Mannagh each kicked 3 majors. Tom Stewart ruled out of Felines v Slot|02:08 Hawkins' replacement Shannon Neale booted 2.2 from his 9 disposals and also 9 marks, creating the coming close to variety get in touch with that to select in 2 weeks time (hanging Hawkins' exercise) more interesting by the week.Asked if he wish to observe an initial last played in Geelong, certainly not the MCG where it are going to certainly be actually arranged, Scott replied with a wicked shimmer in his eye." I believe my placement has constantly been actually that you need to play your home video games no matter where you wish," he confessed." However the AFL manage the finals set as well as they've come to exercise whether that's the correct thing or otherwise, and they're balancing a lot of factors that I do not deal with that a lot." They've got the good of the video game front end of thoughts and all I appreciate is the Pussy-cats so it is actually rational that we would certainly disagree when our experts have those various perspectives." However a prelim last (in Geelong)? Why not? It is actually a pretty good arena." What I will certainly point out is prelim finals are going to be actually dipped into some point at the Gold Coastline, or even at Giants Stadium, or even Hobart.".