Clarko, Longmire say no to Roos as Scott laments club’s inability to attract top-end talent

Sacked North Melbourne coach Brad Scott has lamented the Kangaroos’ inability to attract top-end free agents as top replacement targets John Longmire and Alastair Clarkson rebuffed the club.

Alastair Clarkson and John Longmire have said no to North, as Rhys Shaw prepares to take the reigns from Brad Scott.

Sacked North Melbourne coach Brad Scott has lamented the Kangaroos’ inability to attract top-end free agents as top targets John Longmire and Alastair Clarkson rebuffed the club.

With the Roos unable to bag a big fish in the past two trade and free agency periods, Scott said it was forced to “rebuild on the back of nothing”.

The Roos pensioned off ageing stars Brent Harvey, Drew Petrie, Nick Dal Santo and Michael Firrito at the end of 2016, leaving them with a free agency war chest.

Despite offering up millions to the likes of Dustin Martin, Josh Kelly, Andrew Gaff and Jordan De Goey over the next two seasons, all rejected North’s overtures. The Roos instead lured Jared Polec, Dom Tyson, Aaron Hall, Tom Campbell, Nathan Hrovat and Marley Williams.

Brad Scott ended his tenure as coach of North Melbourne over the weekend. Picture: Getty Images

“I think you’ve got to go back to 2017 when we knew that it was going to be a challenge with so much experience going out,” Scott said on Fox Footy’s AFL360.

“We had a very well documented plan of utilising the salary cap space that we’d built up to bring some players in and we weren’t able to bring those players in.

“So effectively, it was a rebuild on the back of nothing.

“What we haven’t had is a presence in the draft, I think that’s made it really hard on our recruiters.

“People have been critical of the recruiting but if you tally up the number of first-round draft picks that haven’t worked and then look at North Melbourne’s first-round draft picks — only 10 in 10 years and they’ve been back-end picks most of them, too — I think it’s been a real challenge to build through the draft.

“That opportunity is there now.”

Scott revealed he had gone to the club several weeks ago and offered to move on at the end of the season if the board decided to go in a different direction.

But that move was fast-tracked after Herald Sun chief football writer Mark Robinson broke the news last Friday afternoon that his time was up at the club.

Scott said he was told later that evening that the weekend’s clash against the Bulldogs would be his last, and he will now take time to decide if he wants to coach again.

“There was a plan put forward and options for the board to consider,” Scott said.

“While I offered to step down if the board felt that was the right strategic direction, I also offered to see the journey through.

“The board, from my understanding, were reconvening on Friday to discuss those options and then your (Robinson’s) story came about.

“Any journalist who got that story would have run it, there’s no issue there.

“In the end, the board decided that it was this week.

“I didn’t know about it (the sacking) until Friday afternoon.”

Scott said he was disappointed for the players as he had seen himself as their biggest supporter.

“All I can do now is offer as much support as I can to (interim coach) Rhys (Shaw) and the rest of the coaches and players,and I will,” he said.

OVER: SCOTT TIPPED OUT OF NORTH MELBOURNE

Alastair Clarkson and John Longmire have said no to North, as Rhys Shaw prepares to take the reigns from Brad Scott.

WATCH OUT: SCOTT MAKES BEELINE FOR DAVID KING

North’s search for a replacement has hit an early hurdle with the two coaches at the top of its wish list appearing unlikely to return to the club they played for.

The Roos are keen to secure one of the league’s elite coaches, but Longmire and Clarkson would seem to be going nowhere.

Clarkson’s manager James Henderson told the Herald Sun his client could not be more content at Hawthorn after recently signing a new deal.

“Clarko is contracted until at least the end of 2022 and is fully committed to Hawthorn,” he said.

Sydney coach Longmire was evasive about whether the Kangaroos had been in touch with him or his management.

But as the Swans prepare to extend his contract past 2020 he made clear he had a contract he would honour.

“I haven’t been offered any job because I’ve got a job here at the moment with the Sydney Swans and I’m contracted, that’s what I’m doing,” Longmire said.

“I’m just saying how it is. At the moment I’m contracted to the Swans, I’ve got Geelong coming up in Geelong this week, we’ve just come off Collingwood, there’s enough on my plate to be able to get the Swans organised without worrying about outside noise.

“I’m sure (talks over a contract extension) will happen at some point.”

Interim coach Shaw will speak to the media in his first press conference on Tuesday as he prepares for the club’s Friday night clash against Richmond.

The club is expected to have a strong focus on playing its younger players while also ensuring they have enough senior players around them.

The Roos players had a farewell function for Scott at club stalwart Donald McDonald’s house on Sunday afternoon then a lunch off site with Shaw yesterday.

That lunch was designed to recalibrate after a turbulent weekend before hitting Tuesday’s main training session with determination to get something out of the rest of their season.