It’s time for North Melbourne coach Brad Scott to play his youngsters, Jon Ralph writes
North Melbourne has blooded three players this year but as speculation swirls around Brad Scott’s coaching tenure, why haven’t we seen more of them this year? Why Scott should devote the rest of 2019 to playing the kids.
Jon Ralph
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Nine rounds into a season going nowhere, it is time for Brad Scott to make the public declaration.
North Melbourne is playing the kids every chance they possibly get for the future of their football club.
And for either a smooth negotiated exit for Scott at season’s end or an exciting plunge for the senior coach into the new era of North Melbourne success.
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On the weekend, as Sydney’s band of exciting youngsters overwhelmed the Roos off-Broadway on Saturday night, they were nowhere to be seen.
Despite Scott saying only weeks ago the club’s list rebuild was one of the most comprehensive in its history, just four North Melbourne-listed players 21 and under played football.
The VFL had a bye, so Luke Davies-Uniacke, Paul Ahern, Bailey Scott, budding tagger Kyron Hayden and dropped youngster Curtis Taylor sat on their backsides.
And the AFL team featuring seven players 28 or older and a heap of 100-game players had just four players 21 or younger.
They were 21-year-old Jy Simpkin, 19-year-old Tarryn Thomas, 20-year-old Cam Zurhaar and Nick Larkey, 20.
Sydney had 18 players with under 100 games and lost Zak Jones early but won, playing their youngest side since 1997.
Across at Port Adelaide they beat Gold Coast despite eight players with 10 or less games of experience.
At North Melbourne, serial tease Mason Wood was deplorable despite his age — 26 years — and 46 games of experience.
And the wildly exciting Taylor Garner playing second up after a long injury spell had seven possessions.
North Melbourne fans legitimately asked the question why Taylor was dropped after some exciting glimpses the previous week?
Why the club didn’t fight Sam Durdin’s contentious bumping suspension given their desperation to fast-track him into an elite defender?
Why Davies-Uniacke looked a genuine prospect after a summer growing into his body but hasn’t played AFL since Round 6?
Why Ahern’s development has stagnated after averaging 23 possessions in 11 games last year?
Scott could justifiably say the experienced side chosen against Sydney was to save the club’s season.
But now at 2-7, the only gains to be made are through developing those kids for himself or the next coach.
Scott is contracted to 2020 but might feel his race is run by the end of the season.
Whether he jumped ship to a club like Carlton or spent a year in the media before a 2021 coaching berth, both of those scenarios are helped by 13 more weeks of fast-tracking kids.
It would be a smooth exit that showed he was interested in more than his win-loss record in his final year at the club.
The club’s official line is that there is no football department review, but no one would be surprised if one materialised at some stage this year.
Scott has coached 202 games at the club for 101 wins and 101 losses, but no draws.
Similarly there is no middle ground between the fans he polarises after a decade in the job.
Sydney fans were similarly frustrated a month ago, yet as they showed North Melbourne on Saturday it is amazing how the kids can surprise you if you only give them a chance.
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