Craig Hutchison says this week's semi-final against the GWS Giants has monolithic implications for Geelong, with a nonaccomplishment having the imaginable to gully manager Chris Scott's tenure astatine the nine to an end.
After the exit of Alastair Clarkson from Hawthorn, Scott is present the adjacent longest-tenured manager successful the AFL on with Sydney's John Longmire, aft his debut play with the Cats yielded a emblem successful 2011.
Geelong has perpetually topped up its database with seasoned recruits successful hunt of different premiership successful caller years, with Jeremy Cameron, Isaac Smith and Shaun Higgins joining the fold this season.
Ten of the 22 selected players successful Scott's broadside to look Port Adelaide successful past Friday's qualifying final were aged implicit 30, but the acquisition did small arsenic the Cats were humbled by the Power, starring to questions implicit the team's future.
While Hutchison believes Scott's men volition flooded the Giants this weekend, helium says a 2nd consecutive nonaccomplishment could origin rival clubs to transportation Scott connected a imaginable move.
"If they were to suffer this week, it does bring into question whether different clubs volition travel and effort and pry him wide of the Cattery," helium told Nine's Footy Classified.
"I can't ideate that helium stays and rebuilds this team. They person squeezed the beingness retired of the older extremity of the database and the rebuild, erstwhile it does come, is going to beryllium a important occupation and astir apt for idiosyncratic with caller energy.
"It does unfastened the door, if they were to suffer this weekend, for clubs to spell and inquire the question. I can't ideate that helium wants to beryllium determination for the adjacent 10 years and rebuild the team.
"The imaginable of a straight-sets nonaccomplishment volition promote different clubs. He's told america repeatedly that helium doesn't spot himself arsenic a semipermanent coach, and I deliberation that's capable of an invitation for the vacant jobs, Carlton successful peculiar and perchance the Gold Coast Suns, to inquire the question station this finals series."
Scott's grounds successful the finals has perpetually been raised implicit the past decade, with his broadside peculiarly unsuccessful successful qualifying finals.
Essendon large Matthew Lloyd raised whether the crippled benignant could beryllium a problem, a constituent that was echoed by The Age columnist Caroline Wilson.
"Nothing but a premiership aft past twelvemonth and finishing truthful good this twelvemonth volition beryllium bully capable for Geelong and Chris Scott," helium told Footy Classified. "They're each in, they've recruited that way."
"I cognize we speech astir it each twelvemonth with Geelong, but 72 per cent win-loss, the champion of each existent coaches [in the location and distant season], but erstwhile it comes to finals helium drops to 39 per cent, truthful the questions volition beryllium asked.
"Is it a crippled benignant that tin get you done location and distant games, but erstwhile it comes to finals the accelerated shot question gets you through."
"I deliberation that's a question Geelong are asking themselves internally," Wilson added.
"They asked it past twelvemonth and I reckon they're asking it again astatine the moment."
"The absorbing happening is if they don't get to the expansive last this year, what happens to Chris Scott and what happens to that Geelong list?"