AFL 2025: Essendon coach Brad Scott would not open up mid-season draft despite growing injury toll

Essendon coach Brad Scott is against modifying the mid-season draft despite his side’s growing injury toll.

Essendon coach Brad Scott fears shifting the mid-season draft to a mid-season signing deadline could “easily decimate” second-tier teams.

The Bombers, despite already having four players ruled out for the year through injury, have to wait until the mid-season draft to bolster their list.

While a tweak to the draft – allowing clubs to sign players at any point similar to the SSP – would be beneficial for the Bombers, Scott is wary of the “flow-on effect”.

“My mind immediately goes to the flow-on effect of second-tier competitions. It’s something we’ve got to be very cognisant of – what it does to second-tier teams and competitions,” Scott said.

“We’re in a situation now where, yeah, we have a number of spots on our list available, but if three or four clubs have that situation you can pretty easily decimate a second-tier team.

“While people might think ‘how does that affect the AFL’? Well, it doesn’t but it does the second tier and we’ve always got to be aware of those dominoes as they fall.

Richmond VFL defender Tom McCarthy has emerged as a potential early pick in this month’s mid-season draft. Picture: Rob Lawson/AFL Photos

“Things like the mid-season draft, mid-season trading will always be a discussion until it comes in and I think they’re all really relevant discussions.

“But there’s a hell of a lot of work that needs to go on behind the scenes so we don’t create problems that are unforeseen.”

Despite his concerns for the second-tier teams, Scott said the VFL competition continued to pose challenges at AFL level.

Essendon was cautious of promoting players after its Anzac Day loss to Collingwood, as the VFL Bombers had a shorter break between games.

The fixture impacts the Bombers again this week, with midfielder Darcy Parish’s slow return from injury halted by a VFL bye.

Essendon coach Brad Scott admits the ‘imperfect’ VFL is a challenge. Picture: Morgan Hancock/Getty Images

Scott, who tried to perfect the balance in his former role at the AFL, hopes it is still high on the league’s list of priorities.

“I think other coaches have talked about it and I concur, it’s a challenge,” he said.

“The structure we have at the moment, it’s not just the byes, the mismatch in terms of fixturing whether it’s VFL has a five-day break, the AFL has got a seven-day break.

“We’re trying to manage all of that in a very imperfect system. I think there was a piece of work being done on that, I am not sure where it’s at at the moment.

“I think we need to look at it because it’s really unfair and unlucky that players get compromised because of a different structure at VFL level to AFL level.”