The Roos will start warm favourites to overcome their bitter rivals at the MCG.
Sixth-placed North has beaten every team above it on the ladder except Geelong, with the rewards starting to show from a steady list rebuild during Scott's five-year tenure.
But the North coach doesn’t believe the elimination final is more critical for the Roos – who last won a final in 2007 – than any other match.
"It's a crucial time because it's the next game," Scott said at Arden Street on Friday.
"Next year will be crucial too and the year after that will be crucial and round one next year…it's all crucial.
"It's quite humorous when I hear all that stuff: ‘Oh gee, it's now or never'. Is it? Is that it? If we don't win tomorrow night it's over, is it?
"There will be next year, but our attitude is we're primed, we're ready to play and we can't wait for the occasion."
North and Essendon have both lost their past three finals – with the Dons going winless in September for a decade.
Scott said his team, who were belted by West Coast by 96 points in their last final in 2012, was in tip-top condition for its return to finals.
"There's a few nerves, but to be honest no more so than any other week," Scott said.
"I think there's a really steely resolve amongst our playing group and our football department at the moment that this has been another week in our preparation and it's been business as usual and we're not ready to finish yet.
"There's a real feel that they've been preparing for this moment for a very long time."
North has brought back five players it rested for last weekend's win over Melbourne – Todd Goldstein, Michael Firrito, Luke McDonald, Lindsay Thomas and Levi Greenwood – and have "no excuses" against Essendon, Scott said.
"I really believe it is (a positive bringing rested players in)," Scott said.
"We're really well prepared. We've got guys who have played a lot of footy this year and are resilient and hardened and ready to go.
"And we've freshened up those who needed it. So no excuses come tomorrow night.
"We're fit and firing and we've got 22 guys who are ready to get out and get the job done."
Suspended midfielder Brent Harvey will miss the elimination final, while Leigh Adams has failed to come up from concussion and was still battling headaches on Thursday.
The diminutive Kayne Turner, 18, has held his place to play his first final in another change from the Roos' round one side that was outplayed by the Bombers by 39 points.
"I'm not concerned about his (Turner's) mental capacity. We recruited him with these sort of games in mind," Scott said.
North has reviewed its disappointing round one defeat, but Scott was confident it would have little bearing on the elimination final.
"We've said repeatedly that the last four to six weeks are probably more relevant," he said.
"But of course we've looked at it. A lot went wrong for us that night, we didn't play well.
"We don’t expect that sort of performance again."
Twitter: @TravKing_AFL
