Essendon coach Brad Scott has conceded there is a "big gap" between the Bombers and the AFL's best in the competition; however he won't let the Geelong demolition deter his optimism of the club's future.
Geelong rampaged on an inexperienced Essendon outfit at the MCG, heading back down the highway as 95-point victors after a "step back" from the Bombers, who had recently showed competitive efforts against the Blues and Lions.
Scott had no choice but to admit the gap between his side and his brother's was a large discrepancy, and accepted even a Bombers side with a full bill of health would have struggled against the Cats on Saturday.
"When you concede 107 points from interception, 72 of those in your back half, and you just give the ball back to a very well-drilled, well-organised team, they make you pay, and that's the big difference," Scott said.
"...Both ahead of the ball and behind the ball, they were far superior."
However, Scott's outlook on the future was not dampened by the display, with the Bombers coach stating the youth coming through the ranks would only learn and grow from the heavy beating.
"When you've got a team with two first gamers, I think a second or third or fourth or fifth (gamer), with youth, that's what I get excited about coaching," Scott said.
"But you're coming up against the most organised, best-drilled, experienced team in the competition, in my view, and they taught us a lesson, and we're going to learn it.
"We've got enormous, enormous optimism about players like Archie Roberts, Angus Clark and Zak Johnson, they're in the infancy of their career.
"Both Johnson and Clark are in their first year, Roberts in his second year and we're looking to those guys literally, quite literally, to help lead our defence.
"I thought Jayden Laverde had a massive task today on multiple players. But I've been really impressed with the way he's been able to lead our young boys under a significant amount of duress.
"...(It was) a step back tonight without doubt, but the previous two weeks I think has shown that there's enough fight and there's enough capability within this group and we'll never concede.
"We just will be frustrated, disappointed, but keep coaching, keep working with them.
"I've seen enough intestinal fortitude to suggest that there's reasons to be optimistic about the future, albeit it doesn't feel like that right now."
The Bombers will travel to Perth for another clash against a top-eight side in Fremantle, coming off a five-day break to play on Thursday night.