Former Essendon Coach Brad Scott Reflects on Sacking and Club Strategy
Former Essendon coach Brad Scott has spoken for the first time about his unexpected sacking, admitting he was “blindsided” by the decision. During his tenure, he recorded 29 wins, 46 losses, and a draw over two and a half seasons with the club. However, the Bombers have struggled in recent months, managing only one win in their last 24 games and sitting at the bottom of the league table with just four points.
Scott believed he would be given more time to turn the club’s fortunes around, despite the challenging circumstances. In an interview with Channel Seven, he expressed that the situation didn’t feel any different from other weeks, as he had been supported throughout the process.
“I suppose I was [blindsided], we’re going through a difficult period clearly but it hasn’t felt any different to other weeks,” he said.
“I’ve been really well supported over a really long period of time with the plan we put in place.”
He emphasized that all key members were involved in the strategy and that the plan felt like business as usual. Scott also reiterated his belief in the approach, even though it came with risks. He noted that the club had communicated the potential difficulties of the season but remained committed to the plan.
“I was committed to seeing it through, and committed to the playing group and all the players we re-contracted as part of that plan. So yeah it was surprising, but in a way, I’ve been in this industry a long time and it wasn’t surprising because pressure does strange things.”
Controversial Decision to Retain Zach Merrett
Scott also addressed the decision to keep Zach Merrett, which he described as a club choice that he did not agree with. When asked if he thought it was the right move, he responded, “No.”
“My view was that Zach had given incredible service to the Essendon football club, he had been through multiple strategies and multiple coaches,” he explained.
“My view is always you invest in the team and you put the team first and Zach found that really hard to do at the end of last year, and I felt for him and I felt for his family.”
Scott acknowledged that Merrett was not being selfish but had been promised things repeatedly and was at his wits’ end. He believed the club should have let him go, but ultimately accepted the club’s decision.
Rebuilding the Team from the Ground Up
Scott also opened up about the club’s strategic direction, which involved focusing on the draft and bringing in younger players rather than relying on older, more experienced ones. This approach, he said, was a significant challenge, as it required balancing the need to rebuild while still trying to win every week.
“It’s attack the draft, forgo older, more experienced players to bring in draft picks and build the list organically from the bottom up,” he explained.
“This was another huge challenge of the job, in that it is very difficult to simultaneously articulate that we are rebuilding while trying to galvanise a group of senior players that we want to win every week.”
He anticipated that supporters might not appreciate the strategy, as it would make the team vulnerable. However, he stood by the decision, believing it was the right thing to do for the long-term future of the club.
“When we embarked on that strategy, I thought ‘gee the supporters are going to hate me.’ because it’s going to be hard and we are vulnerable. But I wanted to embark on a strategy that Essendon hadn’t embarked on this century and I knew the odds of seeing it through are slim.”
Scott concluded by expressing hope that, in time, supporters would come to see the value in the approach. “In time when the supporters see these kids come together, the supporters might look back and think ‘maybe we don’t hate him as much now.’”
