Chris Scott has embraced the AFL's new crackdown on umpire dissent, vowing to tone down his own reactions to on-field decisions from the coaches box.

Scott, who has been caught in several heated moments during his 12-year stint as the Cats' head coach, admitted that football was an "emotional game" and those participating needed an outlet, but that umpires shouldn't bear the brunt.

"Most of the time when I'm really over the top in the box, it's in reaction to something positive," Scott told media this week.

"I do accept that it's an emotional game and I'll need to relieve that pressure somehow and I choose to relieve it in ways that don't revolve around criticising our own players.

"I'm saying to you that I'm going to do my very best as well to ensure it doesn't revolve around getting frustrated with umpires. It will have to be off the back of good things that our good players do. Bring 'em on.

"I'm fallible even as a coach. I am more than happy to say that if we are all-in on this, then let's be all-in. I'll probably muck it up."

The AFL is facing mounting disapproval from fans over the crackdown, with the latest incident happening during St Kilda's Friday night win over GWS when Saint Daniel McKenzie was hit with a 50-metre penalty over the defender's outstretched arms.

Scott, who played 215 games between 1994-2007, conceded that the new rules could have been put in place earlier.

"Maybe the current players are bearing the brunt of something that should have been shifted a long, long time ago," he said.

"But I don't even blame the players of yesteryear, myself included to be honest, because you played to the rules of the day.

"And that's all they're asking now. These are the rules of the day, forget about what you were allowed to do last year or 10 years or 20 years ago - which is where ex-players do sound like dinosaurs.

"When they start talking about the 'good old days' I tend to tune out and I suggest everyone else should as well, because we've got to move forward."

Scott and the Cats will face North Melbourne on Sunday at Blundstone Arena in search of their fourth win of the season.