DESPITE a number of positive signs, Geelong coach Chris Scott was keeping the performance of his young midfield in perspective after the win against the Western Bulldogs on Saturday.
Josh Caddy, Mitch Duncan, Jordan Murdoch, Mark Blicavs and Cam Guthrie stole the show at Simonds Stadium, winning 61 contested possessions between them as they stepped up in the absence of their skipper Joel Selwood.
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Scott agreed they were outstanding as a collective but said the club was well aware the group had a long way to go before it could compete with the best teams.
"We’re not as good as the best teams yet," Scott said.
"But we think the trajectory is positive."
The Cats moved up the ladder one spot to sit 11th with an even split of wins and losses after round 16.
They showed they could win without Selwood and that victory could occur on the back of a core group of players with between 50 and 110 games experience.
But they will obviously need to do it more often before the coach will make any grand statements.
"One or two good games when you are in that 50 to 60 game bracket doesn't mean you have made it," Scott said.
"They have a lot of work to do but we think collectively they are going to form the nucleus of a good midfield."
WATCH: Chis Scott's full post-match press conference
Geelong's consistency has been an issue this season despite everyone at the club pedalling as fast as they can to make the transition between eras as seamless as possible.
"We’re in the stage of our development where the reality would suggest that we’re going to have some ebbs and flows. Our challenge is to maintain perspective," Scott said.
That means picking the bottom lip up off the ground after a loss and keeping hubris at bay after a win.
"We’re not going to buy into the notion that we’ve got massive problems that can’t be fixed when we have a poor performance and we’re also not going to get carried away when those guys deliver," Scott said.
Selwood's absence caused the midfield structure to alter slightly and possibly allowed players to emerge from the skipper's shadow.
Caddy, a good inside player, carried the responsibility on his broad shoulders to win the ball in tight. He didn't question when it was his time to go and it showed.
Guthrie gave good support, emerging from stoppages with the ball in his hands six times to clear. Murdoch surprised some with his work inside congestion, his strength and speed as telling as his raking left foot. Duncan was classy, his deft touch opening up scoring chances.
Whether they can do so again against Greater Western Sydney's exciting band of youngsters is the immediate question.
"The challenge with developing players is doing it week after week irrespective of the opposition and I think we are on that path," Scott said.
Whether the performance grows their belief to the extent that a new Geelong with the old winning ways emerges for the final seven games is a question even the coach is not prepared to entertain.
"It's the 64-million dollar question," Scott said.
