One shock loss doesn't have Geelong jumping at shadows as they prepare to host Brisbane this weekend.
The Cats are coming off a surprise defeat to Greater Western Sydney, coach Chris Scott admitting there were some startling figures to come out of the 13-point loss.
A week after superstar recruit Patrick Dangerfield led his new club to an eye-catching win over reigning premiers Hawthorn, Geelong came back to earth with a thud against the Giants in Canberra.
The final stats sheet made for grim reading for Scott, whose side were bested in a host of critical categories including clearances, contested possession, inside 50s and tackles.
That situation clearly wasn't good enough according to Scott but he's not concerned it's the start of a trend.
"Six days prior (against the Hawks) it wasn't (an issue) so we're not jumping at shadows," Scott said on Wednesday.
"The contested ball numbers were a bit inflated by the free kicks against ... so it looks a bit different if you strip those out.
"But there are some clear things that we need to improve on.
"One week is not necessarily a pattern." Geelong were on the wrong side of a 23-10 free kick count against GWS but Scott said that it was up to his players to address some technical deficiencies to improve in that area.
"We don't want to make a big deal about it but we don't want to put our head in the sand either," he said.
"So we've got some areas that we're going to focus on to make sure that we're as disciplined as we can possibly be."
The Cats host the Lions on Sunday in their first home game of the season at Simonds Stadium.
Scott will have plenty of options at the selection table, including Daniel Menzel, Nakia Cockatoo, upgraded rookie defender Tom Ruggles and Mitch Duncan, who is recovering well after coming off second-best in a bone-jarring collision with Giants ruckman Shane Mumford.
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