Brad and Chris Scott own the stingiest defences in the AFL with two very different philosophies
AFTER intimidating rivals on the field, Brad and Chris Scott have taken their take-no-prisoners mentality to the coaching box and created the toughest defences in the league, writes MATTHEW LLOYD
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LYNNE Scott, the mother of twin brothers Chris and Brad would have seen some fierce battles in the backyard over the years.
I can’t imagine just how many trips to the doctors and hospital there must have been with sons as competitive as hers, and just how brutal those games must have been.
What a journey it has been for the Scott twins. They were opposing players initially when Brad was at Hawthorn and Chris at Brisbane.
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Brad then joined Brisbane where they became dual premiership players in the Lions golden era between 2001-03. In that time, they also shared the heartbreak of missing out on the 2003 premiership victory due to injury.
Now, they are both highly respected and experienced AFL senior coaches and remarkably, are just 42 years of age.
Chris does have the upper hand of course with the accolade of being a premiership coach locked away in his CV but what a phenomenal story the Scott’s are and will continue to be.
Saturday is a huge game for both men and their clubs, Geelong and North Melbourne.
The two teams come into this game with a record of seven wins and four losses apiece, with only 3.5 per cent separating them on the ladder.
The Cats are currently in fifth and the Roos in sixth on the ladder.
I am not sure how Lynne Scott can bear to watch when her boys are plotting each other’s teams demise from the coach’s box. The winner will be knocking on the door of the top 4, while the loser will be clinging on to their spot in the top 8 by the conclusion of the round.
What an arm wrestle this game is shaping up to be. Geelong and North Melbourne are the two best defensive teams in the game. Geelong concede a measly 67 points a game and North just 71.
Richmond have raised the demands and standards of every team in the AFL competition with the pressure they have applied on the opposition over the last 18 months.
The number one scoring source for every team is now coming as a result of creating turnovers and punishing the opposition on the rebound.
I am not sure how often Brad and Chris discuss their football philosophies with each other, but the Cats and Roos concede the least scores of any teams after they turn the football over.
It goes to prove just how structured both teams are with experienced players at the top end who are in extremely good form.
Geelong and North play on from a mark less than any other side. In Geelong’s case, I believe this is the because they like to have structure behind the ball if it is to be turned over.
If the Cats were to play in a ballistic or aggressive fashion and then turn the football over, it would expose a relatively inexperienced and undersized defence in Tom Stewart, Mark Blicavs, Jed Bews, Jake Kolojashnij and Jack Henry.
All of them have been brilliant this season but they are protected by the Geelong system of holding players back behind the ball which gives them aerial support.
North on the other hand are a high-pressure side all over the ground which is making them extremely hard to beat. The Roos are a tough, contested football side who never relent on the opposition.
Ben Jacobs is a prime example of that. Jacobs concentration in sticking to his task of shutting down the opposition’s best midfielders makes him elite.
I would send him to Joel Selwood as he doesn’t like the close attention and can become frustrated and undisciplined at times.
It would be a huge psychological advantage for North Melbourne if Jacobs could take down the Cats heartbeat on Geelong’s home turf.
North Melbourne’s spine of Scott Thompson, Robbie Tarrant, Ben Cunnington, Jarrad Waite and Ben Brown have been magnificent this season.
Their height along with Todd Goldstein in the ruck will really stretch Geelong who struggle in the big man department.
North Melbourne are showing no signs of falling over and outside of the top three sides in West Coast, Richmond and Melbourne, look to be the most honest and reliable.
Geelong have the home ground advantage and the star power that will have them start favourites in this match, but North Melbourne are a team that know exactly what they want and what it will take to get them there.
The Roos will control their own destiny in 2018 and they look to be on a mission.
There will be no brotherly love at the Cattery this afternoon, there is just too much at stake for both Brad and Chris and their respective sides.
While we all revel in today’s fierce contest, spare a thought for Mrs. Scott.
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Originally published as Brad and Chris Scott own the stingiest defences in the AFL with two very different philosophies