DANGER: CHRIS SCOTT UNDER-APPRECIATED
WELLS TO PLAY HARD BALL
GEELONG coach Chris Scott is under-appreciated by parts of the Geelong supporter base, Carji Greeves Medal winner Patrick Dangerfield says.
Scott has come under fire after the Cats’ preliminary final loss to Richmond, with some fans questioning his overall finals record, in-game decisions and selection calls at the pointy end of the season.
He has the best winning record in AFL history of any coach who has led their side in more than 200 games, winning 71.6 per cent of his home-and-away matches.
But Scott’s finals record is seven wins and 11 losses at 38.9 per cent.
The decision to leave Rhys Stanley out against Collingwood in the qualifying final, and the call to not move Mark Blicavs on to Tom Lynch when he caught fire in the preliminary final also irked fans.
Asked if he thought Scott was under-appreciated, Dangerfield said: “I do.”
But he added: “Certainly not (by those) internally and certainly not those whose opinion I really value. I think he has been so wonderful for us as an organisation.
“But from a personal perspective, he is incredible. His levelness when it comes to winning and losing and his understanding of what it’s like to still be a player, as a coach, it’s really important and critical to enjoyment.
“He has had a great year as coach and there’s been plenty of wins throughout the year where we weren’t playing our best, but the coaches found a way to manufacture wins.
“He is pretty special to have in charge of the group.”
Geelong officials have spoken in recent weeks about a “loud minority” of fans who have attacked the club on social media, including a number of “quite foul” and “completely disrespectful” letters signed by supporters.
President Colin Carter used his address on Thursday night at the best-andfairest dinner to highlight the impact that scathing social media commentary has on the mental welfare of staff, players and coaches.
Dangerfield capped another strong season by winning his third Geelong bestand-fairest in just his fourth season at the club. He labelled Scott “incredible” for both the impact on his football and
on a personal level.
GEELONG is preparing to ask West Coast to build an arsenal of draft picks if it wants to secure Tim Kelly as it works to a precedent set in four recent blockbuster deals.
If Kelly is to be granted his wish and be traded to the Eagles, the Cats will ask for more than West Coast’s current top pick (No. 14) and future first-round pick.
List manager Stephen Wells said the market had set the scene for Geelong to demand two picks inside the top 10 in a deal for the silky midfielder.
He said the club was looking to bring picks in through the Kelly trade and, at this stage, was not entertaining the idea of bringing across an established player, such as Andrew Gaff.
“I think the market has spoken pretty strongly and the footy world knows really that Tim is an extremely valuable player and would command a lot in a trade,” he told AFL Trade Radio.
“(Two top-10 picks) would be terrific, but no club club’s s got two inside the top 10 0 at the moment, so there is s work to be done.
“If we look to previous trades, rades, that’s where the benchmark will be.”
The four major trades that hat indicate what Geelong will demand were completed between 2015 and 2018.
Adam Treloar’s request to o move to Collingwood at the he end of 2015 netted Greater Western Sydney picks seven, 65 and a future first-round pick in exchange for the hardrunning midfielder and pick 28.
Two years later, Adelaide was involved in two deals, firstly sending defender Jake Lever to Melbourne for a package led by pick 10 and a future firstrounder.
A week later, Bryce Gibbs joined the Crows in a deal headlined by that same pick 10 and 16.
Last year, Dylan Shiel’s dramatic deal was handled at the last minute, with GWS gaining pick nine and a future first for Shiel and a future second-round pick.
Given arguably none of those hose four players have reached the heights of Kelly in his two years in the AFL, the Cats are preparing to play hard ball.
“Some Some of us are reluc reluctant for Tim to go at all, to end up with a fierce rival like West Coast Eagles, who we’ve got great respect for, or Fremantle . . . we’re losing a player who has come second in our best and fairest in his first two years in AFL footy,” Wells said.
“In the end, we just want to do what’s best for the Geelong footy club, taking into account everybody else’s position as well.”
Geelong might also look to one of its own deals of recent years, when it sent picks nine, 28 and Dean Gore to Adelaide for Pat Patrick Dangerfield. However, that was negotiated through Dangerfield’s restricted free agency.
West Coast and Fremantle have indicated they are ready to put their chips on the table to make a play for the West Australian, after Fremantle footy boss Peter Bell said his club would be “doing everything we can” to force its way into talks.
Now both those clubs will need to start building their own packages.
‘(Two top-10 picks) would be terrific, but no club’s got two inside the top 10 at the moment, so there is work to be done.’ — CATS LIST MANAGER STEPHEN WELLS