FOOTY fans should get set for a feast of attacking play this season, according to Geelong coach Chris Scott.

Scott and his men have spent part of their pre-season honing their ability to overcome defensive tactics like those employed by Fremantle, which has beaten the Cats in three of their past four matches – a run that includes two finals.

And Scott has come to the conclusion that attack is often the best form of defence.

"I think there's already been some comments by prominent coaches that we'll see more of a return to attacking football," Scott told AFL.com.au.

"I don't think that's just a case of clubs choosing to attack a little bit more, I think it's more an understanding of what you need to do to beat really solid defence.

"I think that's a really positive thing for the game.

"I think the coaches get a little bit of a bum rap when it comes to the good of the game.

"I think most coaches want to see good footy. Probably not at the expense of winning – this is clearly the priority.

"But if we see more attacking, more aggressive risk-taking football, I think that's going to be good for the fans."

The Cats are preparing to show off a few new tricks when they kick off their NAB Challenge campaign against Collingwood at Simonds Stadium on Wednesday night.

"I think the NAB Challenge is a brilliant opportunity for the football purist to get a bit of a preview to what might lie ahead in the regular season," Scott said.

"I think some plans get completely thrown out the door after the NAB series, but what you do see is some experimentation."

Much of the commentary surrounding Geelong's chance of winning the premiership has focused on the need for the club's youngsters to step up.

But Scott sees things differently.

"In terms of the fortunes of our team, I still maintain that the core group of senior players are the ones that dictate your fortunes the most," he said.

"So in some respects there's a little bit more pressure on our older guys than maybe the older guys at other clubs, given that we do have a lot of 30-plus-year-olds and then a big gap to the younger players.

"But we really need those young ones to step up. We are transitioning into a period within our footy club where we expect the young players to take responsibility for the team outcomes.

"We think they're pretty well equipped for that. We've got a number of players that are starting to get to the 50-game mark and are ready to make their stamp on the AFL competition.

"But if I had to choose one group or the other, I think the heat's still on our senior guys. Fortunately, they've shown they're pretty resilient to that pressure."

Twitter: @AFL_AdamMcNicol