Geelong wanted to keep assistant coach Brenton Sanderson for the rest of their AFL finals campaign, rather than have him step straight into the top job at Adelaide.

But Cats coach Chris Scott said they would cope fine without their forward line coach for Saturday's preliminary final against West Coast.

Scott said while they had made their preference clear to Sanderson, once he told them he wanted an immediate departure, they had not stood in his way.

"It was important from our perspective that we back him in and the decision was completely his," Scott told reporters on Tuesday.

"He understood that our preference was for him to stay but we were going to completely support him in whatever decision he chose."

The scenario is the reverse of that which occurred between Collingwood and their ex-assistant coach Mark Neeld, who was appointed as Melbourne's head coach last Friday.

Neeld initially told Magpies coach Mick Malthouse he planned to stay on for the rest of Collingwood's finals campaign, an idea emphatically rejected by Malthouse.

Scott conceded Sanderson's departure would have some impact on the Cats, more so in the planning stages for Saturday's preliminary final than on game day itself.

"But at the same time, the things that we've been worked on have been pretty consistent all year," Scott said.

"The messenger will change but the message will stay very consistent.

"We operate very much as a collective.

"So we are going to be one man down, but we've got another couple that can come in and fill the breach and we've got the utmost confidence in them."

Sanderson said he was grateful to Scott, who beat him to the Cats job late last year, for the way he had supported him as he went for, then was granted, the Adelaide post.

"He was thrilled for me to get the position at Adelaide," Sanderson said.

"He did mention about staying, but I think it's pretty clear there is an enormous conflict there and I want to get starting straight away with the Adelaide football team."

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