GEELONG'S poor winning record in recent finals has no relevance for the 2017 line-up according to coach Chris Scott. 

He said it was illogical to argue his team has a poor finals record given the changes in the line-up that occur year to year.

Scott said this group was excited to confront the challenge of hitting back from last week's loss to Richmond.

While Geelong has won just two of its past nine finals since the 2011 premiership, the Cats had just six players from that flag-winning team on Friday night.

They will also take at least five different players into the cut-throat final against Sydney to the one that lost last year's preliminary final to the Swans. 

Scott said although his side wanted to win every final, it was a fact of life that if a team was below its best in September, it would be beaten and he acknowledged that the Cats had been below their best in their past two finals. 

"It is an illogical argument to say the team has a bad finals record when it is a completely different team," Scott said on Wednesday.

"At the end of the year you play the best teams in the competition, so if you are less than your best you can get exposed pretty quickly."

The Cats have finished in the top four in four of the past five seasons and Scott's winning record is more than 70 per cent.

President Colin Carter said on Friday night he believed Geelong had done an extraordinary job to reach the top four again this season while also having eight players debut, the second most in the competition and two more than the next best top-eight team.

Carter said while the Cats were desperate to win finals, he was full of praise for what the football department had achieved in the home and away season, having fielded 36 players and suffered injuries in key areas of the ground.  

Scott said he expected the Cats to hit back hard this week against Sydney.

The Swans have been more efficient than Geelong this season and, along with Hawthorn, are the only other club with as many top four finishes since 2013 as the Cats. 

The Swans have also failed to win a flag in that time but have made two Grand Finals while the Hawks won three flags.