Geelong coach Chris Scott has taken what is, by his own admission, an unusual step in publicly lauding the progression of one of his club's players.
Irish Cat Oisin Mullin has received his rightful plaudits for another exceptional job in quelling the influence of Magpies superstar Nick Daicos, but Scott buzzed when offering that the 26-year-old appeared to just be scratching the surface of his obvious potential.
"I'm pretty excited about his development," Scott told Fox Footy's AFL360.
"I generally don't make a habit of going into detail publicly about he we think about the evolution of our players. Generally, that's a private thing. We certainly don't want to talk about our weaknesses to the rest of the football world, and we don't want to gloat about our strengths either.
"But I have been prepared to say, that for a long time, we've thought about Oisin being much more than just a dour, negative (tagging) player."
Mullin's offensive strides were perfectly encapsulated by his burst from the first centre ball-up of the second half, that led to an almost-instant Ollie Dempsey major. The former Gaelic football star left Daicos, a man Zac Tuohy once infamously compared him to, in his wake.
"I think Nick Daicos is the best player in the comp, with the greatest respect to Marcus Bontempelli, so it's always a difficult role (quelling his influence)," Scott continued.
"We like that part of his (Oisin's) game, but we thought offensively, he's becoming quite a complete player, so that was really exciting."
The Cats stunned Collingwood, moving the ball swiftly in breathtaking handball chains. They gained the second-most metres by hand they accumulated in the last 11 seasons, and, after being first in the league for kick-to-handball ratio last season, Geelong sit eighth in 2026.
When pressed as to whether or not the Cats decision to take the game on by hand was a deliberate ploy - one that obviously kept the Magpies at bay - Scott offered insight into his coaching philosophy, and the motivations of his side.
"For a long time, we've been a team that is prepared to tweak the way we play, almost week to week. I used to be of the view that's a dangerous way to approach it, but I think in the modern game, if you play the same way all the time, irrespective of your opposition, (you set yourself up to fail)," Scott said.
The Cats head to the Gabba to face nemesis Brisbane on Thursday night.
