On his first ‘official’ day back at Arden Street, the second year coach stated to kangaroos.com.au during a sit down interview that although he was away, he “didn’t miss anything."
It’s a statement which may have some players shaking in their boots and this article may just confirm their worst fears; the coach has been watching the entire time.
“They (the players) probably don’t know. The players might have thought they were able to hide for a couple of weeks but I’ve got a really good handle on where they’re all at,” Scott said.
It’s all thanks to technology. After each training session, Scott would be sent the vision and a breakdown from his assistant coaches and he had plenty of time to scrutinise all of it.
“I was only away from the place physically you know, I had all the training at home. It gives you a chance to think about things and do things you wouldn’t be able to do at work.
“I don’t miss anything. We have most things filmed like most clubs do and I’ve got it all on file so I know exactly how the players have been going.
“I’m really confident that we’ve got a good group of core players that can take us where we want to go this year.”
Scott thanks a gradual footy department restructure for allowing him to have a break away from the club.
“We’ve worked really hard over the past 12 to 15 months on setting up the football department the way we want it and I’ve been really pleased with the way the players and the staff have adapted to that change.
“We really have a feeling that we kicked off the 2011 pre-season the way we finished off in 2010. It was a seamless transition from that season to the pre-season whereas the year before, we had to overhaul a lot of things as you do when you have a new coach come in. We’ve got the structure of the football club set up really well and in essence, I’ve got full confidence that I can take some time off in January and know that things will run smoothly without me.”
But Scott says finding the right time to get away isn’t easy.
“October has become a really busy month for coaches with the trade period and preparing for the draft and of course we were also preparing for our pre-season trip to Utah.
“So, January becomes the month when players are training really hard, but it’s probably the only month on the calendar now where nothing is happening with AFL footy. It’s a really good time to have a break but a good time for the players to have a break from me.”
And he believes the players may have also benefitted from his absence and having senior assistant coach Darren Crocker in charge.
“I think the players need a different voice at different stages and you really want the words you use to have a significant impact on the group. If they’re hearing the same thing, time after time, after time, it can get a little bit boring for them. I think changing it up is refreshing for them and also for me to have a break. They’ll get sick of me by July so if I can delay that for as long as I can it will be a good result.”
Known for his work ethic and passion for the game, it seems two weeks was a little long for Scott and he couldn’t resist the urge to call in during training, incognito of course - well sort of.
“It’s difficult to stay away. I tried to watch training from a distance last Friday but I think a few people spotted me in the distance.”
And while the holiday provided a much needed break, Scott admits the phone call he received regarding Ryan Bastinac’s knee injury definitely put a dampener on it.
“To get a training mishap and an acute, innocuous incident like Ryan’s is really frustrating. Look, it’s really hard for Ryan, but it gives another player an opportunity to step up and we think we’ve got 34 or 35 players that deserve a spot in our best side.
“It gives someone else a chance to jump into his spot and it also gives Ryan a chance to work on getting a bit bigger and a bit stronger in the gym. He may not have been able to do that had he not hurt his knee, so we expect him to come back as a bigger, stronger and better prepared footballer."
