COACHING players who ride form rollercoasters is more preferable to Chris Scott than the steady as she goes type who never rises above the average.

That's why he's being more than happy to live with the inconsistency of mercurial speedster Steven Motlop during his first 100 games.

Asked what would be a fair assessment of Motlop's career to date, Scott revealed he would rather be in charge of players he at least knows are capable of hitting the high notes.

"I would rather a player who can play exhilarating football and then be a little bit off at times than someone who just plods along and plays average footy most weeks," Scott said.

Motlop could never be accused of playing average football.

Whether at his best or worst, he has a presence few in the game can match. 

When he is on, he glides across the ground at pace, gathers the ball like it's a balloon and kicks goals from positions few would even attempt to kick them from.

When he is off, he can appear disinterested and petulant.   

"He has set a high bar for himself with his best footy," Scott said.

That the high bar can suddenly turn into a limbo dance for Motlop at times is obvious to anyone who has watched him play, but Scott said playing in the high half-forward role doesn't help his cause.

"It is a difficult position to play with consistency," Scott said.

"To get that A-grade status, that elite midfielder status, he needs to be a little bit more consistent but if you go through the high level half-forwards in the AFL, not many are that consistent week in, week out."

Motlop has played forward more often in 2016 after finishing second in the club's best and fairest as a midfielder last season.

It has perhaps contributed to the odd lapse in output from Motlop, although against Carlton, in particular, his work-rate dropped off.

He has kicked 20.5 and averaged 20.1 disposals in 2016, however his average tackles per game has dropped from 3.4 in 2015 to 1.7 this season.

So the search for that elusive consistency continues, with the coach happy to watch the journey from up close.

"We think he can be a genuine mid as well," Scott said.

"I think if you asked most head coaches around the competition [whether] they would like him in their team I think the answer would be positive."