When Brad Scott’s playing days ended in 2006, there was little doubt he had the makings of an AFL coach, according to those who knew him best.

“He was always smart, so it hasn’t surprised me that he’s gone on to coach after playing,” Scott’s former coach Leigh Matthews said.

Scott played 168 games over nine seasons at Hawthorn and Brisbane, with his time at the Lions in particular shaping him into the professional coach he is today according to four-time premiership coach Matthews.

“He always had a great feel for what’s best for the team,” Matthews added.

“As an individual, he always had a great feel to know what he needed to do to help the team, and he had the discipline to actually do that.”


Courtesy: Herald Sun (Colleen Petch)

On the eve of his 200th game as North Melbourne coach, Scott’s former mentor Mick Malthouse told North Media his application to the role of assistant coach at Collingwood from 2007 to 2009 stood out.

“Brad had all the attributes that I consider necessary to become a senior coach,” Malthouse, a three-time premiership coach with West Coast and Collingwood said.

“As a young bloke, he came on as an assistant coach and was extremely dedicated from the moment he walked in. 

“He had the admiration of the playing group. He was very respectful and he strived to learn as much as he could.”



A “tough and unrelenting” competitor during his playing days, Malthouse said it’s easy to see how Scott has endured the rigours of senior coaching for the past nine years.

“It’s very difficult to be a senior coach for as long as he has, and I don’t think people understand that,” Malthouse said.

“The demands are so great on not only the coach, but also their family. 

“You’ve got to have a good partnership with your wife and your children, because you’ve got to expect that there will be ups and downs, good times and bad times, but the role is all consuming.”

Matthews echoed the sentiments of Malthouse.

“The external pressure is always difficult, but that’s normally just a small part of the equation,” he said.

“You need a certain degree of resilience so you don’t panic and you can work out what you need to change and what you need to persevere with.

“I’m sure Brad Scott has got the resilience and the intellect to do all that.”

Drew Petrie spent seven of his 16 years at Arden Street under the tutelage of Scott; a man he credits as the main reason he was able to reach the heights he did as a player.

“For me personally, I played my best footy under Brad,” Petrie said.“I’ve got him to thank for ensuring I reached my full potential right throughout my career at North Melbourne.”

Just as he did at Collingwood, Scott made an immediate impact on the Kangaroos from the day he was appointed.

“A young coach is exactly what I thought we needed after the club had Denis Pagan and Dean Laidley,” Petrie said.

“I was very excited when he was announced as coach, I had heard lots of great things about his modern coaching style and ways of thinking.

“He was certainly able to help the whole club progress from where it was when he took over.”

Petrie said Scott had a unique ability to develop strong bonds with the players which allowed him to challenge them.

“What I loved about Brad was that we built a strong relationship and he was able to challenge me, and because I was a senior player at the club, he didn’t hold back because he demanded more of his senior players,” Petrie said.

“I still remember one day he showed a clip from training, and it was me not chasing Mason Wood out of the forward 50 well enough, I was putting a half-arsed effort in.

“Brad pulled me up in-front of the group and got stuck into me and I’m so thankful that he did that because from that day forward, I really appreciated how hard you need to train regardless of how old you are, and that moment was a really big turning point.”



Tactically, Petrie had high praise for Scott after reaching two preliminary finals.

“You’ve got to be very good at your craft to get a team to a preliminary final, and we did that two years in a row,” Petrie said.

“We started 2016 and it looked as though we were still in the hunt for a premiership, but things dropped away that year and Brad was smart enough as coach to identify that the list needed a makeover so that North could be built again for the next premiership push.

“He was willing to make the hard decisions in the best interest of the North Melbourne Football Club … I knew Brad had the best interests of the club at heart, and that’s all you can ask for as a senior coach.”

Brad Scott is set to become the third longest serving North Melbourne coach, behind Denis Pagan (240) and Wally Carter (219), when the Roos play Adelaide on Sunday evening.