Geelong coach Chris Scott says he won't hesitate to call out his players if necessary despite copping flak for his criticism of Tom Hawkins.
Hawkins booted four goals during the Cats' one-point AFL win over North Melbourne on Sunday but also gave away five free kicks.
Scott had some sympathy for the star forward but insisted there was no excuse for him giving away "sloppy, undisciplined, blatant free kicks".
The comments rankled with former Geelong premiership forward Cameron Mooney, who claimed they might affect Hawkins' confidence.
"I don't understand why coaches come out and publicly criticise their players, or point out their flaws," Mooney wrote in his News Corp column.
"Hawkins tried and he was punished by the umpires. That happens. He tried. He doesn't need to be reminded he gave away free kicks.
"If you're going to make an example of him, or be critical, do it behind closed doors. Do it in the match review. Do it in the team meeting. Do it anywhere but the post-match press conference."
Mooney has previously used his various media roles to question Scott's communication skills, particularly in relation to the retirement of veteran Jimmy Bartel last year.
Scott was in no mood on Wednesday to discuss Mooney's commentary, saying he enjoyed a strong relationship with Hawkins.
"He was actually on the front foot. He said 'I'm really clear on what I did wrong'," Scott said.
"The conversation that we've had around it was very, very short because it's self-evident, and I would have thought for intelligent people it would be self-evident as well.
"When the question's put to you 'is five free kicks deep in the forward 50 a good thing?', I think defending the indefensible is probably a bigger mistake to make."
Geelong will face Melbourne at Etihad Stadium on Saturday, with both sides undefeated after two rounds.
