Essendon coach Brad Scott has hit back at the “rampant speculation” that branded senior players as confused about the club’s rebuild.
The Bombers, sitting at the rear end of the ladder, take on the injury-depleted Richmond in the annual Dreamtime at the ‘G clash this Friday night.
The match comes after a week of scrutiny on Scott and Essendon, including reports that the senior core did not understand the timeline of the club’s rebuild.
Scott denies any confusion around the Bombers’ direction and says there is a clear plan for success.
“Well, no, it’s not the case, but if you have to respond to what is rampant speculation than you’d just never stop talking,” Scott said.
“The reality is every club has a list management strategy and players are different, players – as they should be – are worried with what’s right in front of them.
“That’s what we spend a lot of time as a coaching group getting players focused on, just their job right now.
“What their job right now is to go out and compete, try and win this week and then the next week – that’s what their focus is.
“We have a list at the moment where every player is capable of being part of the next successful era.
“I don’t think we’ll have a player on our list, at least voluntarily, retire in the next two, three, four years. Everyone is part of the plan.
“We’ve been very clear with those players, ‘Look, this is where the club is at, this is the direction of the club’.
“Every player on our list is well and truly capable from an age perspective and a capability perspective of being part of our next successful era.”
With just one win after 10 rounds, the pressure has quickly risen on Scott.
But the experienced coach says “it’s not and has never been about me”.
“Quite frankly, it just doesn’t faze me, I don’t live in that space,” he said.
“I don’t think about it. I’ve been in this game for over 30 years and I understand how things work and what people choose to talk about and what people are interested in.
“People can be interested in that, it just doesn’t interest me.”
