Chris Scott will stop to smell the roses after guiding Geelong to a second AFL premiership from his dozen years at the helm.
And the Cats coach will encourage his players to do the same as part of a big-picture plan to keep their motivation levels high next year.
"The first thing is to enjoy the moment (because) it's hard to get," Scott told reporters after Saturday's 81-point grand final thrashing of Sydney.
"I have been involved in a premiership before (2011) when three days later I was immersed in what we were doing in the pre-season.
"I'm not doing that again. That was a mistake."
Geelong fielded 10 players over the age of 30 as part of the oldest team in AFL history against Sydney.
The club's 10th premiership brought a decade of September heartbreak to an end, ruling a line under a period that included five preliminary final defeats and a grand final loss.
But Scott shut down talk the breakthrough flag will signal time for his ageing group to put the cue in the rack.
He tipped emerging younger players and those who missed out on the big day to continue driving the Cats forward in pursuit of more success.
"I suspect a lot of people will jump to the older guys and my experience when you win one (as a player), the idea of doing it again is quite appealing," Scott said.
"But I don't think it will be that hard to motivate Sam De Koning, Tom Atkins, Jack Henry, Zach Guthrie, Max Holmes, Esava Ratugolea, Cooper Stephens ... it's a long list."
Holmes was the hard luck story of the grand final after being overlooked for selection because of concerns over his hamstring, which he injured eight days earlier.
The 20-year-old wingman shone during a breakout season and passed a fitness test the Friday morning before the grand final.
But he was deemed too great a risk and was replaced in the 22 by Mark O'Connor, with Brandan Parfitt filling the medi-sub role.
"The decision to not play Max Holmes when he'd just been so critical for us this season was just brutal," Scott said.
"Our medical staff are elite and they got him to the point, against all the odds, where he probably could have played.
"The decision was nuanced but we just felt with quality players like Brandan Parfitt, Sam Menegola and Mark O'Connor there we just couldn't take the risk and put the rest of the team in jeopardy."
