Scott warns of pain
Dons’ long-term plan
BRAD Scott has warned Bombers fans there will be “short-term pain”, with the new Essendon coach ruling out mature-aged recruits in a team set to be the youngest in the competition next year.
Scott is determined to continue to bring elite draft talent into an Essendon side that finished 15th last year and has not won a final since 2004.
He revealed he would have walked away from the opportunity to coach Essendon had the board or selection panel urged him to fast-track the elite band of young kids with a top-up mentality.
The Dons have lost a raft of senior players in recent years, have as much as $3m in cap space and desperately need another key position forward and full back.
But Scott said he wasn’t interested in filling short-term positional needs or topping up with mature-aged players to quickly rise up the ladder.
It means Essendon fans thrilled to have acquired Scott must buckle up for what he conceded would be a bumpy ride given the inconsistency of the AFL’s youngest list.
“We are prepared to build this for the long term and we know there is going to be some short-term pain,” he said.
“But we have got an opportunity to hopefully bring in some talent and develop the talent on this list. Unfortunately that takes time but I am invested in taking the time that is required and so is the club.
“The facts are we enter the 2023 season as the youngest list in the comp, from an age and experience perspective. That by definition is going to make it really challenging to be consistent. But our focus is on bringing in and developing elite talent. We are not interested in filling gaps.”
Scott also made clear he did not want to have his focus diverted from improving the football team by other club-based distractions.
“I have presented a vision to Essendon and they have supported it that Essendon needs to renew its focus on football and their commitment to me is I will have autonomy over footy and the ability to focus on footy without having my attention directed elsewhere,” he said.
The Dons continue to work through a club-based review headed by former banking executive Andrew Thorburn, who has become a strong contender to lead the club as its new chief executive.
Scott said he was open to further discussions with captain Dyson Heppell over whether he would remain captain of the club next year.
But he said it was his view that early in the development of lists the coaches had a strong say in who was captain, with the players empowered to make that decision as the list evolved.
“I don’t have a set preference. I have met with Dyson and had a really good chat. He is a really important person to have around the club.”