These are strange days indeed down at Geelong.
In Chris Scott, the Cats boast the coach who has the best-win loss record, 73.86 percent, of any coach in history who has appeared in more than 70 games. In his 153 matches at the helm, Scott has racked up 112 wins, two draws and 39 defeats.
Yet he has been the subject to all manner of criticism this week, from former captain Mark Bairstow down to the most outspoken BigFooty posters, who've lambasted his tactics against Richmond in last week's qualifying final. Some are even calling for his head.
Which seems odd given that Scott's win-loss record is better than that of Jock McHale (67.8 percent), Dick Reynolds (67.7), Tom Hafey (65.2), Allan Jeans (62.9), Kevin Sheedy (57.6) and any other coaching great you'd care to name.
In fact, the two men who are breathing down his neck as the 'winningest' coaches of all time are two of the current crop - Sydney's John Longmire (70.1 percent) and Adelaide's Don Pyke (71.6). It is slightly ironic then that Scott is facing off against Longmire on Friday night when Geelong play Sydney at the MCG.
What Scott's critics are most angry about, however, is the Cats' recent finals record of two wins from the past nine September appearances - at 22 percent. And those two wins have come when Hawthorn's Isaac Smith missed a relatively simple after-the-siren kick at goal last year, and when they rolled an inexperienced Port Adelaide side at the MCG in 2013.
Geelong's final score of 5.10 (40) against Richmond last week was their lowest in any game since 2014 and their lowest at the MCG since 1963. The Cats' kicking efficiency of 49 per cent was the lowest they have ever recorded.
The insipid performance earned the ire of Bairstow who this week ranted: "(Tom) Hawkins should be played inside the 50-metre line. And against the Swans, (Heath) Grundy will have to go down and man up with him and Hawkins will beat him every day of the week.
"Why Harry Taylor was left at centre half-forward for that long, goodness knows. And why when [Cameron] Guthrie went down did they suddenly decide to drop the tag on Dusty Martin? He's only the best player in the competition."
Scott's muddled thinking stretched to the non-selection of clever forward Daniel Menzel - a decision Scott later said he regretted.
In Menzel, they had a player whose winning percentage against top-four teams was 87.5 percent - the second best of all time - and who was a noted goalkicker, having booted 38 majors this season.
It continued a miserable run for Menzel in qualifying finals. In 2010, he was dropped from the team; in 2011, he ruptured the ACL in his knee and was out for most of the next four years; and in 2016, he had groin issues and missed the next final.
Both Scott and Menzel will be hoping normal service is resumed at the MCG on Friday night - when the coach will aim to improve on his stellar win-loss strike rate and Menzel will be out to build on his imposing record against the best teams.