Defender Harry Taylor says the Cats will have plenty to think about over the bye.

Geelong lost in a nail biter to St Kilda by three points at Etihad Stadium last Saturday night and will now have the chance refresh with a week away from football.

“Not ideal [the result], particularly going into the break,” the three-time premiership player told Cats Media post-match.

“You want to enjoy your break but this makes it a little bit harder.”

The Cats were simply outplayed by the Saints in all areas – at least through the first half – and though the side rallied to nearly pinch the four points, the damage had already been done.

“It was hard work. Really hard work – particularly early,” said Taylor.

“We were just a bit fumbly around the ball; weren’t on top in clearances and were under a lot of pressure down back, which is not the way we want to play.”

“They used the ball really well going forward, which we knew would be the case. They got us a few times in some tough spots and they capitalised pretty early.”

“We fought back okay in the second half but you just can’t let teams get away to a lead like we did.”

The Cats do sit in the top four with a 10-4 record as their mid-season break begins, however Taylor knows the side will need to show further improvement as the competition moves towards September.

“Not a great night for us, but we’ll find some positives during the week and review the things that need to be worked on,” he said.