My Story: Matthew Scarlett reflects on his Grand Final toe poke, punching Hayden Ballantyne and why his Geelong teammates weren’t normal
Matthew Scarlett knows he shouldn’t have punched Hayden Ballantyne. But the aftermath included a West Coast supporter sending him a brand new watch and a host of ex-AFL players saying thank you.
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We had so many competitive guys at Geelong there was always tension.
Our training sessions were harder than games when we were going well.
We were brutal on each other, so sometimes tempers flared and there’d be fights.
We’d always sort it out, but we weren’t all best mates off the field. There were quite a few dramas and problems but we respected each other.
I knew what my teammates would deliver on game day, especially the big games, that’s what we were built on, that big-game trust.
Every single bloke on our team was really driven and super competitive.
It’s not normal.
We were lucky to have that many competitive people and we pushed each other to get better. It’s something teams strives for but it’s really hard to get.
Paul Chapman, Steve Johnson, Gary Ablett, Jimmy Bartel, Cameron Ling, Joel Corey, Darren Milburn, Corey Enright, everywhere you looked there were competitive people.
It promoted a strong football environment where we pushed the limits, with fights all the time, it was quite fun to watch.
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I had a couple of real strong verbals with the guys in the backline. We demanded a lot of each other and got into a few exchanges and then I almost got in a fight with Stevie J after a review one time.
Lucky Tom Harley was there to separate us, I didn’t like what Stevie was doing and he didn’t like what I had to say about it.
At that time, Stevie and I probably didn’t have the best relationship. We certainly mended that, he was a wonderful teammate.
But it was nearly on in the property room. If “Harls” wasn’t there we’d probably still be going.
THE TURNING POINT
We knew “Bomber” (Mark Thompson) was in trouble.
We had an ordinary 2006 and lost three of the first five in 2007, and we felt really bad about what might happen to Bomber.
Five minutes after the loss to the Kangaroos (Round 5, 2007) he called us into the meeting room at Kardinia Park. We’d had those meetings before, win or lose, and it felt like here we go again.
But there were quite a few home truths said and it felt different walking out that day.
Bomber said his bit and left.
He gave us a spray along the lines of “When are you guys going to take the game seriously?” and “Are you going to change because you’re certainly good enough?”
For him it was about respecting the game, having the right attitude every week and understanding how good we could be.
He walked out and I guess it sunk in — if we keep doing these things a guy we clearly loved, and we all loved Bomber, was going to get sacked.
We took it personally and instead of pointing fingers, like we did in the past, we walked out and looked in the mirror.
Everyone went down that path of “What can I do better?” and “How can I make this footy club better?” and “It’s not about me, it’s about the team”.
We played Richmond the week after and we beat them by 20-odd goals, had a couple more wins and started to believe maybe we are the best team in the competition.
Everything just clicked.
Something happened in that meeting, I can’t explain it. It was like some magic dust got sprinkled over us but it was different.
2007 PREMIERSHIP
We wanted to win by 200 points.
Going in 52 points up at halftime against Port Adelaide, deep down you feel really good, but what really drove us was playing the same way all the time.
We really wanted to put the foot down, put the foot on the throat, we just wanted to be ruthless right to the final siren.
I remember even in the last quarter a few things weren’t going our way and we started lairising a bit and Lingy (Cameron Ling) was running around and driving the group. We were up by 100 points.
2009 PREMIERSHIP
I look at the vision of the toe poke and still don’t know why I did it.
It was like slow motion, the ball just sat up and instead of picking it up I thought it’s quicker to poke it to Gary (Ablett). One of those things that worked out well, thankfully.
What happened after was pretty special, it got into Gary’s hands which was a good start.
He kicked it deep towards “Moons” (Cameron Mooney) and Max Rooke, then Travis Varcoe front and square, handball to “Chappy”, who kicked an unbelievable goal.
That was a lot harder than what I did.
I was pretty lucky it came off because if it didn’t I would’ve looked like an idiot. It probably goes down the other end for a goal and we lose the Grand Final.
2011 PREMIERSHIP
We were written off at the end of 2010 once Bomber (Thompson) left and Gary (Ablett) went up to the Gold Coast, so that really was a bit of extra motivation.
Everyone said we were too old and too slow, but we were able to get together and win another premiership.
The motivation started before we walked off the ground (after losing the 2010 preliminary final). I was really driven to get better, to get them (Collingwod) back the next year and get a bit of revenge.
I was really confident we were going to be a really good team again. We had the same players, had a lot of hunger, a ruthless hard group keen to make amends for 2010.
We were hungry for more premierships and we knew we were going to be good enough.
To beat Collingwood in the Grand Final was a great feeling.
THE CAREER
The premierships are great, the friendships are just as good if not better.
I think about losing the 2008 Grand Final more than the ones we won. I can’t get it out of my head. It was the one we really messed up.
There were warning signs even before the Grand Final — we were selfless and ruthless and we started going away from that as we headed into the finals.
I regret not doing more to get the team back on track.
We went away from what we stood for, did it a few too many weeks, and got to the biggest game of the year and those bad habits crept in and we got exposed on the biggest stage.
I take greater pride in the latter part of my career. I was still playing good footy but had become a better leader and helped the guys around me become better players.
By half way through 2012 I knew that was going to be my last year. I was ready to retire, just mentally, I was pretty drained.
I was ready and I got to leave on great terms, which was really important.
I don’t think I played a year too long, which I never wanted to do.
FAVOURITE FLAG?
They are all different feelings.
The first one (2007) was relief, we were under enormous pressure going into that finals series.
It felt like we were the best team in 2007 but because of what happened (to Geelong) in the 1990s, losing Grand Finals, it was like the town was waiting for us lose that one.
The pressure was unbelievable and we delivered so it was more relief than anything.
We had the disappointment in 2008, then I guess the character of the group to pick ourselves up in 2009 and beat St Kilda in an unbelievable Grand Final when probably they were the best team all year.
Beating Collingwood in 2011 was not only us against the other teams, it was us versus the footy world because we’d been written off.
We used that motivation, absolutely we did, so all different feelings, relief the first one, a bit of redemption the second one, and then stick it up the footy world the third one.
THE FORWARDS
Matthew Lloyd was the best full-forward I played against.
His leading patterns and connection with the midfield made him hard to handle.
He had such strong hands and forearms he’d never drop marks, and was such a good kick for goal.
There were other champions who played up the ground a bit more, like Warren Tredrea and Barry Hall, both unbelievable footballers.
Daniel Bradshaw had a few good matches on me. It took me a few games to understand how he played and to get on top of him. Early on against him I was too reactive to what he was
doing and not reading the game or positioning myself very well. But later I just got back to playing my game and backing my judgment of where the ball was going.
Bradshaw was quite underrated but a really good forward.
I had my way and played pretty much the same way on all those forwards, backed my own ability.
THE FUTURE
It didn’t interest me at all, coaching, even in my final year of footy.
When I retired I got quite a few calls from a great friend and mentor, Brendan McCartney, who coached me at Geelong and was coaching the Western Bulldogs.
I decided to give it a crack, a couple days a week with (Bulldogs backline coach) Rohan Smith and I started to enjoy working with the young key defenders.
The more I got into it the more I enjoyed it and then had the opportunity to go back to Geelong in 2014 part-time as a development coach and now assistant coach.
I’ve had a lot of positive influences in my life and a good career. I really want these guys at Geelong to experience everything I experienced in the game.
Coaching has surprised me, it makes you a more balanced and rounded person, which has been really good for me, and I love the planning and the strategy of it.
Senior coaching is something I’m still not sure about. I enjoy my role I’ve got so no aspirations of being a senior coach just yet.
BOMBER BOND
I had a great relationship with Bomber.
What he did was remarkable really. He came to the club, drafted his own players and rebuilt the culture.
The place was a mess when Bomber rocked up. Players were leaving, (coach) Gary Ayres had just left and we had a really ordinary culture.
Bomber pretty much turned the whole place around and got us going.
PUNCHING HAYDEN BALLANTYNE
I had about 80 messages on my phone after the game from people I didn’t know, many of them players and past players, thanking me for giving Hayden Ballantyne one.
I even had a West Coast Eagles supporter send me a brand new watch!
It was a big deal, and I look back now and do regret that incident.
You don’t want your kids seeing that. I overstepped the mark.
MAD MONDAY
We had a lot of fun, no doubt about that, especially after winning the Grand Finals.
You won’t have better days really, in your life, just unbelievable.
The dress ups started in 2007. It was a bit of fun then became a bit too much pressure with everyone asking what you are going to go as this year.
Quite a bit of thought went into the costumes.
Probably half way through the year I started to think about them, and going into the finals you’re hoping to stretch it out and get into the Grand Final.
I did like the Dermie (2009) outfit, Hannibal Lecter was 2011, great memories. Not so much the “KB”, that was in 2008 so I just tried something to lift the boys’ spirits. I’m not sure if it worked.
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Originally published as My Story: Matthew Scarlett reflects on his Grand Final toe poke, punching Hayden Ballantyne and why his Geelong teammates weren’t normal