Kangas send off Scott as a winner
BRAD Scott wouldn’t say it publicly but the emotional turmoil of his awkward farewell to North Melbourne was clear to see as he hugged teary-eyed players in the wake of their stunning AFL win over the Western Bulldogs.
In an at-times surreal Saturday afternoon at Marvel Stadium, Scott’s men rallied from 32 points down to score a stunning 18.7 (115) to 13.12 (90) win in his 211th and final game in charge.
The victory improved the Roos’ record to 3-7 for the season, and Scott’s tally to 106 wins and 105 losses over his 10 seasons in charge.
Scott steadfastly refused to confirm his departure from the club until he had spoken with all of his players, some of whom were on VFL duty that night, preferring to officially bring the curtain down on his time at Arden Street at a press conference today.
But his true farewell happened in the aftermath of the final siren against the Bulldogs.
Scott was adamant he didn’t want to make the occasion about him, but he did allow himself one indulgence, embracing every one of his players and waving to the North cheer squad as he left the playing arena as their coach one last time.
“The players were very emotional at times,” Scott said.
“They were emotional during the breaks, but I thought my job today was to keep them focused on the task at hand, contest to contest, and they were just super today in all aspects.
“It was just more looking at them (after the game).
“I’ve coached Ben Cunnington from the day he walked into the football club, Jamie Macmillan the same.
“The older players like Robbie Tarrant, Scott Thompson, Jack Ziebell ... we’ve been together this entire time, so they were emotional which tends to set off a bit of a chain reaction.
“I pride myself on keeping it together and I think largely we did.”
Scott said he was disappointed his plan to mutually part ways with the club had become public as the speculation about his future gained momentum late on Friday. BULLDOGS KANGAROOS