IN A CHILLING warning, Geelong coach Chris Scott predicted that champion onballer Gary Ablett can still improve in the second half of the season.

Scott said Ablett was still adjusting to the Cats' style and his teammates after the stunning 34-possession contribution to the 37-point win over North Melbourne on Saturday.

"I think he has got improvement in him. I'm not suggesting he can play his best footy because there might not be many who have played better footy than him in his prime. But I think it's just a logical progression given where he has been with his body and his preparation and adjusting to life with new teammates," Scott said.

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"I've been trying for a long time to build a midfield with a lot of depth and it feels like we're creeping up on that.

"I think there's still more adjustment (for Ablett) to come and that's not a criticism of the Gold Coast system. It's just to say it's different to ours. In the same way Zach Tuohy and Lachie Henderson had to adjust to a different system as well.

"To an extent it's hard to manage because we weren't prepared to lock in an idea in November and commit to it no matter what. We had to see how his cohesion was with his teammates. Logic would say that will get better as the season goes on."

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Ablett's tally included eight tackles that defied the perception the 34-year-old is merely an offensive midfielder.

"At his best, he plays that way anyway. He is an inside player who's really strong over the ball and smart. He's not an all-or-nothing player around the ball with his centre-of-gravity over the ball and his ability to dispossess the opposition is pretty good. I thought it was a step forward in that respect. The crucial tackles that he made were team-lifting," the Cats coach said.

Geelong must find a replacement for Aaron Black who was sent for scans on an injured left knee, although Scott said Lincoln McCarthy, a late withdrawal with hamstring tightness, should be ready for next Sunday's clash with Richmond at the MCG.

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"It (Black's incident) looked like a hyperextension, the more complicated part is what's damaged. It was sore enough not to come back on. The indication we're getting that it's not a serious injury, but that's our best guess at the moment," Scott said.

"I read that it's impossible to beat Richmond at the MCG. We're going to have our work cut out.

"I think we'll be going in giving ourselves a chance, but they have been formidable there. People aren't just making that up, the numbers reflect that as well. So, it's a great challenge, we're really looking forward to it.

"We feel like we're progressing and a number of areas of our game that needed to improve have improved. We're a long way from where we think we can be .... but we give ourselves a chance."

On the return of Lachie Henderson, Cam Guthrie and Scott Selwood in Geelong's 100-point VFL victory in the early game at GMHBA Stadium, Scott said: "They all looked pretty comfortable at that level and then Cory Gregson, who went back, kicked five (goals) and was probably best on the ground. So, there was positive signs from that team."

Scott said the 17-32 free kick count against Geelong dented the home ground advantage perception of GMHBA Stadium.

"Our crowd can be accused of being a little passive, I didn't think they were passive today. But the noise of affirmation didn't work today," he said.

"I don't know whether it was over-compensation. Steve Hocking (AFL football operations manager) said he needs to see the data from the Perth games, there's another data set that we can add to the list today.

"Some games you sit there and think nothing is going our way. I didn't think that so much, I thought there was a stronger focus on holding in the marking contest. I think when we go back and have a look at the vision, we'll probably see why the free kicks were paid."