Chris Scott and Geelong have agreed in principle on a new contract which will extend his tenure as coach of the AFL club until at least the end of 2019.
Scott led the Cats to a flag in his first season at the helm in 2011 and boasts an outstanding career winning record of 72 per cent.
"As far as I'm concerned I've been there since October," the 38-year-old said on Tuesday.
"There were a few issues that held things up a little bit and there's always some fine print to work through.
"But as I've been saying pretty consistently, the club is committed to me and I'm absolutely committed to them.
"As far as I'm concerned it's done, so the actual signing of the papers is kind of irrelevant to the in-principle agreement."
Scott's current deal runs out at the end of this season and a two-year extension would take him through until the end of the 2019 campaign.
Cats CEO Brian Cook said the deal could be finalised before the club's season opener against Fremantle at Domain Stadium on Sunday.
"The coach is still to receive the actual contract but he will in the next four or five days," Cook told SEN Radio.
"We are both committed to each other and we've agreed in principle."
Cook said any criticism of Scott's man-management skills was unwarranted in the wake of a season where they bowed out in disappointing style to Sydney in a preliminary final.
"The job is difficult for all senior coaches and some master it better than others in the relationship stakes but I can ensure you Chris Scott does have very good relationships with his people," said Cook.
Despite undergoing significant personnel changes after each of the past two seasons, Scott expected the Cats to again challenge for higher honours in 2017.
"There are challenges internally and it's trying to beat the handicapper to an extent and we do have a very new list," he said.
"In the last 18 months 50 per cent of our list is new.
"That doesn't prevent good performance and we're still very optimistic - but it is a new group."
GEELONG'S LONGEST-SERVING COACHES
304 games - Reg Hickey, 1932, 1936-40, 1949-59
260 - Mark Thompson, 2000-10
145 - Malcolm Blight, 1989-94
142 - Chris Scott, 2011-
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