Scott appeared on Fox Footy’s On The Couch two days after his side’s 18-point defeat at the hands of the Bulldogs, and revealed he and his players were ‘spirited and pointed’ during a marathon three-hour review on Monday.
“I think the purpose of a review is basically to let the players know in no uncertain terms what happened and then really give them a way forward so that we can go about it and ensure that never happens again.
“Basically our effort has never been questioned by me in the last two and a half years. I saw examples on the weekend that indicated a lack of effort.
“I think players always go out and give their best, but sometimes when you see examples of a lack of effort, that’s the most disappointing thing.”
Brendan McCartney’s team finished on top in many of the key statistical areas including contested possessions and inside 50’s, and dynamic duo Matthew Boyd and Ryan Griffen were easily the most influential players on the field.
Scott believes the dominance of the Dogs’ experienced midfielders was arguably the difference between the two sides.
“We had plans for Griffen and Boyd. Clearly they didn’t work. There is culpability because the plans we put in place didn’t work,” Scott said.
“I’ve always been a believer that the buck stops with the coach to give players roles. If they can’t execute those roles, then you’ve got blame for that because you put them in those roles in the first place.
“I would contend that if we’d been able to eliminate Boyd and Griffen we would have won that game.”
Former Sydney premiership coach Paul Roos questioned whether the Kangaroos could win without Brent Harvey or Daniel Wells being at the top of their game, though Scott says the younger brigade of midfielders at Aegis Park is primed to step up in the coming years.
“No doubt teams target Harvey and Wells and that’s why basically from two and a half years ago from when I came in (as coach), (Ryan) Bastinac, (Ben) Cunnington and (Jack) Ziebell were mainstays of our midfield,” he added.
“Did it help us win? Were they ready for that? Probably not. But the reality was that if we continued to rely on Wells, Harvey, (Drew) Petrie and (Andrew) Swallow to win us games, well the future was going to look pretty bleak when eventually they move on.”
