After his AFL coaching debut, Chris Scott knows two things.

He might have to tone down his emotion in the box during games, otherwise the TV producers will have a field day replaying his reactions.

Friday night's one-point win over St Kilda at the MCG also reinforced to the new Geelong coach that his team will never give up.

Having lost acting captain Joel Selwood to concussion in the first term, the Cats had only kicked one goal late in the third quarter and were 21 points down.

But they roared back to hit the front for the first time in the game when Jimmy Bartel kicked his freakish goal early in the final quarter.

Still, even Scott thought they were beaten when Lenny Hayes' goal put St Kilda back in front with a few minutes remaining.

The Cats then capitalised on two defensive errors from the Saints with less than a minute left and substitute Darren Milburn, who had replaced Selwood, kicked the winning goal.

"We thought the game was gone, but it tells you they never give up," Scott said.

"These guys never think they're out of the game, they have an intense dislike for people thinking they're better than they are.

"St Kilda could make an argument that they are going better than we are ... especially when they players are getting towards the end of their careers, the challenges really build.

"So far, we've seen our guys aren't prepared to give up."

Scott threw his hands up in elation when Milburn goalled and later admitted he had s sore throat thanks to the nerve-wracking final quarter.

"I probably gave you some interesting moments on the TV, but it's an emotional game," he said.

"I thought we were on top of things, but I won't lie to you, it did get a bit emotional towards the end there."

Saints midfielder Farren Ray collided with Selwood and was reported for forceful high contact.

Selwood was concussed for a couple of minutes and was taken to hospital, but was back in the Cats rooms bythe end of the match.

He was cleared of any bone damage and was nursing a sore head and a fat lip.

"It takes more than that to stop Joel Selwood," Scott said.

Saints coach Ross Lyon was also rapt with his team's effort.

A fortnight ago, Lyon admitted St Kilda faced a massive challenge to be ready for round one, given their pre-season form.

He said the defensive errors by Jason Blake and Sam Gilbert late in the game that led to Milburn's goal were costly, but could be fixed.

Lyon thought the Saints' effort was more important.

"That sort of effort, if you improve your mechanics, will go a long way to achieving a lot of wins," he said.

"But as it sits, we're 0-1."

Meanwhile, Geelong captain Cameron Ling and Paul Chapman will play in the VFL on Saturday and are expected to be available for the April 2 away game against Fremantle.

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