Scott on the bye week

We had some good time off, like we expect of all our people through this period.

It is a pretty relentless job that we are in, so more and more we are coming to the view that when you do get a chance to take a break, all our people should take that and make the most of it. The chance to recharge for what is going to be a pretty intense last third of the year.

I feel good, but it is funny because you get back to work, and there is no break that prepares you for the intensity of the job.

As much as possible, I feel like I have achieved that. 

Scott on where Geelong are at

I think I have spoken enough about the quirkiness of the draw, and it is sort of playing more of a part these days than I think it ever has, at least to my eye.

The thing that hasn't changed for a long time is that when you get to around two thirds of the way into the season, it is impossible to win the premiership early in the year but you can play your way out of it.

So what you are looking to do, broadly is just to be in contention. By that measure, I would say that we are in the fight. You can't do much more than that to this point of the year.

Even Fremantle, who have only lost one game, but it doesn't give them that much of an advantage relative to the four or five teams around them.

It is good from that perspective to say okay, well we think we are in it, but there is a lot of work to be done. 

Scott on whether Bailey Smith and Tom Stewart will be available

Yeah, we think so.

Bailey just had the flu, so it would be logical to think that he is okay. Tom has been training well, so all indications are good there.

But again, I will just keep repeating myself when it comes to the injury stuff, I know I have to speak on it but we just wait until the medical staff give us clearance. We don't even ask for a running commentary.

I guess the exception to that would be that we have got a main session out there today, Tom is taking full part in that.

We are not deaf, dumb and blind to it all, you can see what is going to happen, but they haven't definitively told us that he is okay yet. 

Scott on the importance of a week off

Sometimes when you talk about really needing the bye, I don't think that is necessarily true.

I guess we think about the fixture a bit and our planning around the management of our players, but we think about it more and more with the management of our people as well.

We have known about this period since October and we encourage our people to plan around it. It is always on the proviso that we think that the investment will pay off on field, I can't think of anything we do that we think is going to be detrimental to the on field.

Philosophically, I am probably reminded more and more that we might think about these things differently to some other people and that's okay, that doesn't concern us at all. In fact, we are very aware that we are not for everyone.

Some of the people that I really respect in the game have a bit more of a view where it's like, you just have to keep grinding and working.

I guess we take the view that when you get a chance to have a break or take the foot off the gas a little bit, that it charges you to really put the foot down when it counts.