GEELONG coach Chris Scott has had generational talent at his disposal over his career so far, but who's been the best of the best?
Scott is just the second person to coach Geelong in 300 games, following the footsteps of club legend Reg Hickey, and the 24th to reach the landmark across the V/AFL competition.
After three seasons as assistant coach at Fremantle, Scott took the reins for the 2011 season following the resignation of Mark Thompson.
He took the club to a flag in his debut season – the third in a five-year period for the Cats – and has had highly talented lists at his disposal over his 13 seasons in charge.
AFL.com.au has been tasked with the incredibly difficult job of counting down the top 10 players to have taken the field under Chris Scott.
Given the varied generations on offer, we're assessing their overall careers when it comes to rankings, rather than just their time working with Scott.
10. Harry Taylor
A two-time premiership key defender, Taylor was a mature-age draftee who became the anchor of the backline after the retirement of Matthew Scarlett. The West Australian won a flag in his second season, and amassed 280 games after making his debut a few months shy of his 22nd birthday. The two-time All-Australian was a very steady key defender and excellent reader of the play and he also showed his versatility as a tall forward when required, kicking 75 goals, including six against Greater Western Sydney in 2012 and three bags of five.
9. Tom Stewart
Another mature-age defender, Stewart was playing local footy in Geelong under Matthew Scarlett before he was added to the club's VFL side in 2016. Making his debut at 24 in 2017, he has been named in the last four All-Australian sides, his first blazer coming in just his second AFL season. Stewart is a high-flying intercept defender who has formed a key part of Geelong's defensive structure in the latter half of Scott's coaching career. His elite marking is so dominant teams occasionally employ a defensive forward in an attempt to nullify his impact.
8. Steve Johnson
The mercurial forward changed set-shot goalkicking as we know it, much to the bane of traditionalists but the delight of the next generation of AFL players. His snaps from the boundary were initially termed the "J-curve", but it's become commonplace nowadays. The tales of his fairly loose behaviour in his early years on the list (pre-Scott) are well known, but he buckled down to become a genuine matchwinner. A three-time All-Australian, three-time premiership player and a Norm Smith medallist.
7. Jeremy Cameron
Geelong paid a pretty penny to land Cameron from former club GWS, and it's paid off in spades. One of the most dangerous key forwards around, Cameron can turn a game with a devastating 15-minute burst, and his ability to snap a goal from the 40-50m range is remarkable. He already has 570 goals under his belt at 30 years old, is a three-time All-Australian (including in his second season), won the Coleman Medal in 2019 and is a two-time best and fairest between his two clubs. There's still plenty to come from 'Jezza'.
6. Matthew Scarlett
Scarlett is known quite simply as one of the best defenders of the modern era. The end of his career overlapped with the start of Scott's, and as a backman, he simply did it all at his best. A fearsome and driven opponent, Scarlett could lock down a premier key forward at a time when team defence was developing, and was a steady and strong source of rebound. Scarlett was a six-time All-Australian and three-time premiership player, but such was the standard of teammates around him, only won one best and fairest in 2003. He's also a member of the Australian Football Hall of Fame.
5. Jimmy Bartel
Yet another Geelong local to make the list, the 2007 Brownlow medallist's final six years fell under Scott's reign. A ferocious midfielder who went to another level in wet weather – complete with his obligatory long sleeves – Bartel was a key cog in Geelong's three-premiership run. He had an uncanny knack of bobbing up in defence to take a crucial intercept mark, or pushing forward to kick a goal just when it was needed. Bartel is a two-time All-Australian, and his ability to play at his very best in the biggest of games (he was the Norm Smith medallist in 2011) stands him apart.
4. Tom Hawkins
Hawkins' longevity is a key factor in his ranking position here. The father-son product came into the Cats under an awful lot of external pressure to become the spearhead to take the reins from Cameron Mooney, and he eventually delivered in spades. One of two players to have taken part in both the 2009 and 2022 flags, Hawkins has played 340 games and looks like he will comfortably push on into 2024. He has made an artform of goals from inside-50 throw-ins, is one of the most powerful contested marks around and is a five-time All-Australian, winning the Coleman in 2020.
3. Patrick Dangerfield
A genuine matchwinner, Dangerfield has earned an astonishing eight All-Australians, having a near-permanent hold on the honour in the 2010s despite the hot competition from other midfielders. At his peak, Dangerfield's burst from stoppage was near-impossible to match, and he remains a key link to the forward line with his clearance work and power. The 2016 Brownlow medallist and AFLCA champion player is the current Geelong captain, having returned to the surf coast after eight seasons at Adelaide.
2. Joel Selwood
Selwood will go down in history as one of Geelong's greatest ever captains. His leadership – both on and off the field – was a key part in turning the Cats into the powerhouse they are today, and that impact is central to his ranking here. A four-time premiership player who captained Geelong from 2012 to his retirement last year, he is the club's games record holder with 355 matches, a three-time best and fairest and a six-time All-Australian. His attack on the footy was second to none (much to the detriment of his oft-bandaged forehead) and his contested work in Geelong's midfield has never been more evident than this year, the first in his absence.
1. Gary Ablett jnr
Who else but 'The Little Master' at No.1? The champion simply held the AFL in his thrall across a stellar 19-year career, and did it under the heaviest pressure possible – being the son of the legendary Gary Ablett snr. A two-time Brownlow medallist (one at the Cats, and the other at Gold Coast), Ablett's talent in the midfield and ability to break away from a pack was second to none, and was recognised as an All-Australian across eight consecutive years. He had the goalkicking knack of his father, topping club counts on three occasions, and retired with 357 games to his name, despite a number of serious injuries along the way.
Honourable mentions 11-20
There was just so much highly decorated talent on offer, it was easy to pull together a secondary list, with the sublime Corey Enright the unluckiest:
11. Corey Enright
12. Joel Corey
13. Paul Chapman
14. James Kelly
15. Mitch Duncan
16. Brad Ottens
17. Mark Blicavs
18. Andrew Mackie
19. Tom Lonergan
20. Cam Guthrie
