Coach Men's Senior Coach: Brad Scott

[jmoo wan]

I had no idea. How did that happen?

i’m not sure… i think he got too close to the truth …

 

[mitch-wa]

i’m not sure… i think he got too close to the truth …

 

[Lore]

ABC interview is similar to the others in a lot of ways but was asked about whether Heppell will still be captain and he said a bunch of stuff about how Hepp is an important person to have around the club etc etc but then he goes;

“I don’t have a set preference and what I do know is that we need to work with the players and help them grow and develop

“those decisions around leadership probably in the short term are better off left to the coaching group and the people running the football program and as we grow and develop then players get more empowered to assist in those decisions

 

[frodos gardener]

I like it: signalling an end to the players voting on the captain.

 

[Lore]

ABC interview: What about if James Hird said he wanted to be involved with the club in some capacity? Would you be open to that idea?

“Really important for past players and legends to be part of the club and to feel like they belong to the club. It’s their club. You know anyone who has a role to play at Essendon whether they be past players or people who love the club, we should embrace them.

“Now as to what that role might look like, I can’t answer that because we’ve got a hell of a lot of work to do with the structure as it is.

 

[Lore]

Playing it again, there’s another different question that yielded a more detailed response than the earlier interviews, I missed it the first time through:

What would he do differently compared to when he was coach of North Melbourne?

“I think there are always a lot of things and it’s often easier in hindsight, and even if you make decisions that you’re really convinced are the right ones at the time, it’s only in the fullness of time that you realise that perhaps a better approach would have yielded better results.

“So there are a number of things and probably as an example of that, I really tried to do the best I could for North Melbourne in every element of the club.

“Whereas I really put down a vision for Essendon and they’ve supported that, but Essendon needs to renew it’s focus on football.

“And their commitment to me is that I’ll have autonomy over the football department and the ability to focus on footy without having my time and attention directed elsewhere, so that’s really encouraging.”

 

[frodos gardener]

“Autonomy over footy department” = no interference from coteries attempting to exert influence on who gets selected and how the team plays.

I ****ing hope.

 

[yodellinhank]

Playing it again, there’s another different question that yielded a more detailed response than the earlier interviews, I missed it the first time through:

What would he do differently compared to when he was coach of North Melbourne?

“I think there are always a lot of things and it’s often easier in hindsight, and even if you make decisions that you’re really convinced are the right ones at the time, it’s only in the fullness of time that you realise that perhaps a better approach would have yielded better results.

“So there are a number of things and probably as an example of that, I really tried to do the best I could for North Melbourne in every element of the club.

“Whereas I really put down a vision for Essendon and they’ve supported that, but Essendon needs to renew it’s focus on football.

“And their commitment to me is that I’ll have autonomy over the football department and the ability to focus on footy without having my time and attention directed elsewhere, so that’s really encouraging.”

Bomber thought there was too many meetings (with Craig was it?) and unnecessary distractions didn't he? I mean, yeah he was not in the best space, but is it something Brad thought going in about the way we're running the club?

 

[footyfanatic111]

ABC interview is similar to the others in a lot of ways but was asked about whether Heppell will still be captain and he said a bunch of stuff about how Hepp is an important person to have around the club etc etc but then he goes;

“I don’t have a set preference and what I do know is that we need to work with the players and help them grow and develop

“those decisions around leadership probably in the short term are better off left to the coaching group and the people running the football program and as we grow and develop then players get more empowered to assist in those decisions

That’s exactly the main part i took from that interview aswell - coaches picking the captains. Like it

 

[Lore]

Bomber thought there was too many meetings (with Craig was it?) and unnecessary distractions didn't he? I mean, yeah he was not in the best space, but is it something Brad thought going in about the way we're running the club?

From where Scott is sitting it’s probably more a matter of having to pitch in with the stuff other people would ordinarily be in charge of outside the footy department, when North could barely afford anything, which meant he couldn’t do as much as he wanted to do in preparing the team for the following week. At a guess maybe pitching to sponsors or something?

From Essendon’s perspective, perhaps coterie interference or board members interference. Stuff that Mahoney would be more intimately acquainted with than Scott I should think, though a person with an average ability to use Google would probably get some idea about that if they didn’t already have a good handle on it. Part of his due diligence perhaps.

 

[MiguelM]

“Whereas I really put down a vision for Essendon and they’ve supported that, but Essendon needs to renew it’s focus on football.

“And their commitment to me is that I’ll have autonomy over the football department and the ability to focus on footy without having my time and attention directed elsewhere, so that’s really encouraging.”

This is encouraging.

That might be the start of the players buying in. It has sometimes felt like the footy/players have been secondary to the "brand".

He is certainly clear and thoughtful in his answers without repeating dribble about how we want to play. Time will tell, but from the outset you can see that an outsider can identify issues us fans have been screaming about for years. The disaster of a season might just be a blessing in disguise.

 

[faible]

This is encouraging.

That might be the start of the players buying in. It has sometimes felt like the footy/players have been secondary to the "brand".

He is certainly clear and thoughtful in his answers without repeating dribble about how we want to play. Time will tell, but from the outset you can see that an outsider can identify issues us fans have been screaming about for years. The disaster of a season might just be a blessing in disguise.

Listening to him speak and one thing that strikes me is that he’s clearly articulating what he wants.

One of the big things you notice in that Amazon doco a few years back is that a guy like Hardwick (Dew was also good at it) could clearly articulate what they wanted from the group. Conversely Leon Cameron was talking in riddles.

The hope would be that Scott can help cut through some of the confusion that appears to beset our playing group. We have a highly qualified panel of assistant coaches who should have as much tactical nous as any panel in the league, we just need a senior coach who can tie it together and motivate the players to do the work.

I’m optimistic. Now to not appoint a marketing guy as CEO.

 

[Yoda_]

From where Scott is sitting it’s probably more a matter of having to pitch in with the stuff other people would ordinarily be in charge of outside the footy department, when North could barely afford anything, which meant he couldn’t do as much as he wanted to do in preparing the team for the following week. At a guess maybe pitching to sponsors or something?

From Essendon’s perspective, perhaps coterie interference or board members interference. Stuff that Mahoney would be more intimately acquainted with than Scott I should think, though a person with an average ability to use Google would probably get some idea about that if they didn’t already have a good handle on it. Part of his due diligence perhaps.

confirmed, three - peat incoming

 

[MiguelM]

Listening to him speak and one thing that strikes me is that he’s clearly articulating what he wants.

One of the big things you notice in that Amazon doco a few years back is that a guy like Hardwick (Dew was also good at it) could clearly articulate what they wanted from the group. Conversely Leon Cameron was talking in riddles.

The hope would be that Scott can help cut through some of the confusion that appears to beset our playing group. We have a highly qualified panel of assistant coaches who should have as much tactical nous as any panel in the league, we just need a senior coach who can tie it together and motivate the players to do the work.

I’m optimistic. Now to not appoint a marketing guy as CEO.

This is exactly why I didn't want Lyon. He is the polar opposite.

Agree, having a clear message might just empower the playing group. When the players are confused, the basics drop off.

 

[Jack Richards]

Really excited by his responses

 

[ant555]

Playing it again, there’s another different question that yielded a more detailed response than the earlier interviews, I missed it the first time through:

What would he do differently compared to when he was coach of North Melbourne?

“I think there are always a lot of things and it’s often easier in hindsight, and even if you make decisions that you’re really convinced are the right ones at the time, it’s only in the fullness of time that you realise that perhaps a better approach would have yielded better results.

“So there are a number of things and probably as an example of that, I really tried to do the best I could for North Melbourne in every element of the club.

“Whereas I really put down a vision for Essendon and they’ve supported that, but Essendon needs to renew it’s focus on football.

“And their commitment to me is that I’ll have autonomy over the football department and the ability to focus on footy without having my time and attention directed elsewhere, so that’s really encouraging.”

Pretty much eliminates a director of coaching role you would think. He will be all things football with a better funded development crew and Mahoney will continue to oversea football and drive the recuiting.

 

[Lore]

Pretty much eliminates a director of coaching role you would think. He will be all things football with a better funded development crew and Mahoney will continue to oversea football and drive the recuiting.

It seemed to be a toss up between a director of coaching and an OP senior assistant funding wise, if we’d got someone else. Perhaps we now put that dosh towards a head of oppo analysis/stat people while Scott does player development more himself.

Although you might still have player development staff like what Harmit Singh was doing with community outreach, NGA and JHA. The Jack Jones Academy for 1st-4th years might have its own staff and get beefed up too, but still answers to the coach.

 

[Engimal v3]

Hope he goes well for you. I always liked him, and think he's talked about unfairly. He was a good coach who was maligned because of his personality

Only thing to watch out for is him playing favourites. Not many other clubs where Shaun Atley

18

Shaun Atley

Age

32

Ht

189cm

Wt

86kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

17.3

4star

K

8.5

3star

HB

8.8

5star

M

3.3

3star

T

2.2

4star

MG

273.1

4star

D

15.0

4star

K

7.9

3star

HB

7.1

4star

M

3.1

3star

T

2.0

3star

MG

246.4

4star

D

13.6

4star

K

6.2

3star

HB

7.4

5star

M

1.6

2star

T

3.0

5star

would have been a 200 game player, or had Jamie MacMillan

34

Jamie Macmillan

Age

33

Ht

188cm

Wt

89kg

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Def

Career

Season

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D

17.3

4star

K

10.3

4star

HB

7.0

4star

M

4.3

4star

T

2.0

4star

MG

368.8

5star

D

11.9

3star

K

7.3

3star

HB

4.6

3star

M

2.7

3star

T

2.3

3star

MG

212.7

3star

D

14.4

4star

K

7.0

3star

HB

7.4

5star

M

2.6

3star

T

1.6

4star

play in the backline for 10 years without learning how to tackle.

 

[Beerfish]

Hope he goes well for you. I always liked him, and think he's talked about unfairly. He was a good coach who was maligned because of his personality

Only thing to watch out for is him playing favourites. Not many other clubs where Shaun Atley would have been a 200 game player, or had Jamie MacMillan play in the backline for 10 years without learning how to tackle.

They're probably the things he talked about doing differently if he had his time again.

Hopefully he has developed his ability to see things with the fullness of time a lot quicker. Like as they're happening. Preferably.

 

[justlookingaround]

Kakkle. oh… rest in peace you beautiful flower

Kakkle ain’t dead Essendon just broke him.

 

[Lore]

Link originally posted by TheGreatBarryB on the main board thread;

Vindicated by North’s crash: why clubs should look at Brad Scott

The events of 2020 and 2021 have vindicated Brad Scott’s judgement. North are in a much deeper rebuild and recession than would have been necessary two or three years ago.

amp.theage.com.au

Thought it was an interesting article given some of his comments in interviews about what Scott would do differently or what he’s committed to at Essendon etc.

Particularly these:

In 2018, Brad Scott presented the North Melbourne board with three options to take the club forward on the field into the 2020s.

One was to keep topping up with mature players, in order to remain thereabouts, North having finished in their typical mid-table position, missing the finals by a game and percentage.

Option two was a hybrid of going to the draft - making judicious cuts to the ranks of senior players - and bringing seasoned players in, a kind of each-way bet on short and long term objectives.

The third option was precisely where North have found themselves today under David Noble: a total rebuild of the playing list, with a huge investment in the draft. This would also involve trading out players to gain draft currency, a formula that invariably involves pain over a period of years, but has the advantage of being unambiguous.

Scott favoured the rebuild - which would not have been the scorched earth version of 2021. The North board did not.

General example of professionalism but also being able to consult and take direction, which bodes well.

Dealings with past players:

Scott’s time at North was dented by the nature of his exit. Like his twin at Geelong, Scott can be headstrong and ended up on the wrong side of influential past players and a portion of the fan base. In Brad’s case, it’s the 1990s crew who’ve been front and centre, to a borrow a Denis Pagan-ism, in the criticism.

Interesting compared to his comments to the ABC about welcoming past players at the club inc. Hird.

Description of team style:

Scott and his crew made blunders, such as failing to rebuild in 2016 when a raft of veterans (Brent Harvey

Brent Harvey

Age

46

Ht

167cm

Wt

75kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

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21.3

5star

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13.2

5star

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8.2

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3.9

4star

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2.1

4star

G

1.2

4star

No current season stats available

D

6.0

2star

K

3.0

1star

HB

3.0

3star

M

1.2

2star

T

0.6

3star

G

0.6

3star

, Drew Petrie

Drew Petrie

Age

42

Ht

197cm

Wt

101kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

12.3

3star

K

8.6

3star

HB

3.7

3star

M

5.4

5star

T

2.7

4star

G

1.3

5star

No current season stats available

D

5.2

2star

K

4.0

2star

HB

1.2

2star

M

1.6

2star

T

1.8

4star

G

0.0

1star

, Michael Firrito

Michael Firrito

Age

41

Ht

189cm

Wt

93kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

14.8

4star

K

7.8

3star

HB

6.9

4star

M

3.9

4star

T

2.3

4star

MG

291.6

4star

No current season stats available

D

9.0

3star

K

5.4

2star

HB

3.6

3star

M

1.6

2star

T

2.4

4star

, Dal Santo) were retired. But his teams were usually spirited, well-drilled and fell short really only because of a talent deficit.

I’d be happy enough if our only problem was lack of talent. Acquiring such is not generally a problem for us.

 

[Happyskeret]

Link originally posted by TheGreatBarryB on the main board thread;

Vindicated by North’s crash: why clubs should look at Brad Scott

The events of 2020 and 2021 have vindicated Brad Scott’s judgement. North are in a much deeper rebuild and recession than would have been necessary two or three years ago.

amp.theage.com.au

Thought it was an interesting article given some of his comments in interviews about what Scott would do differently or what he’s committed to at Essendon etc.

Particularly these:

General example of professionalism but also being able to consult and take direction, which bodes well.

Dealings with past players:

Interesting compared to his comments to the ABC about welcoming past players at the club inc. Hird.

Description of team style:

I’d be happy enough if our only problem was lack of talent. Acquiring such is not generally a problem for us.

I see Nick Dal Santo spoke glowingly of Brad which is encouraging.

 

[Old Campaigner]

Link originally posted by TheGreatBarryB on the main board thread;

Vindicated by North’s crash: why clubs should look at Brad Scott

The events of 2020 and 2021 have vindicated Brad Scott’s judgement. North are in a much deeper rebuild and recession than would have been necessary two or three years ago.

amp.theage.com.au

Dealings with past players:

Interesting compared to his comments to the ABC about welcoming past players at the club inc. Hird.

I didn't read that has him having a problem with past players generally, just that in Norf's case there was a group of them that didn't like what he was doing. I think we can probably relate to that.

 

[Lore]

I didn't read that has him having a problem with past players generally, just that in Norf's case there was a group of them that didn't like what he was doing. I think we can probably relate to that.

Neither did I — same point I was making. He wants to get people on side.

 

[The Devils Advocate]

Eli Manning?

Jackson Merrett