Bombers mull extra height for Anzac clash
Essendon won’t necessarily axe a key position player to accommodate a returning Peter Wright but coach Brad Scott says the weather will influence his Anzac Day plans.
Scott was adamant ruckman Sam Draper and key forward Harry Jones both had a place in the Bombers’ side against Collingwood, as he said going taller was “definitely” on the table.
After Jones enjoyed another strong performance with two goals in Friday’s three-point win over Adelaide, it appeared either Draper or Todd Goldstein would be squeezed out if Wright was recalled following his four-match suspension.
Scott said Wright was in terrific shape following a “mini pre-season” and was primed to return on the big stage despite the lack of match practice.
“Definitely (an extra tall could play) … I should know better than to look at the weather forecast in Melbourne a week out, that will come into play in terms of what we do there,” he said.
“The art and science of coaching – this is a bit of an art this week I think, in terms of ‘what can it look like? How do we want to structure up? But I tell you what, I’m really pleased to have those options available to us.”
Experienced midfielder Dylan Shiel was also available for selection after playing unrestricted minutes in his second consecutive VFL game, but Scott said the Bombers would look carefully at whether his preparation had been sufficient.
He said results on the weekend including Fremantle’s heavy loss to West Coast and Port Adelaide’s capitulation to Collingwood showed any side could pay a significant price if they were fractionally off-colour.
“(Shiel’s availability) is one of the really difficult positions that I think we’re in – medically clear, done a really good block of work,” Scott said.
“But we’re really conscious we’re playing in a really tough competition. The competition’s on a knife’s edge … look at the results from the round just gone: if you’re on, you’re capable of beating anyone, if you’re off, anyone’s capable of beating you. That goes for just about every team in the competition now.
“We’ve just got to weigh that up with Shiely, because obviously he’s a high level player … has he done enough? That’s what we’ve got to get to the bottom of.”
Scott, whose late father, Colin Scott, served in Vietnam, said he would lean “heavily” into Anzac themes with his players leading into his second time coaching on the occasion.
He became emotional as he spoke about the importance of the game in reminding people of the sacrifice of Australian servicemen and women.
“We should reflect on that we get to enjoy the freedoms because of the things that our service men and women have done for us … it might sound repetitive, but I can’t repeat it enough,” he said.
“The Anzac Day game just puts that back in the forefront of young people’s minds, because there’s a risk in my view, that we take those things for granted.”
Scott had not lost much sleep over the controversial Sam Draper incident which helped the Bombers escape with victory over the Crows, but said he would have preferred the ruckman to have kept his feet to avoid the possibility of being pinged holding the ball.
“Whether it was pushed under him … I didn’t even bother watching the replay, but it’s more trying to hold your feet in the contest, and understand that if you dive on the ball and don’t get it out, it’s probably going to be paid holding the ball,” he said.
“But again I would reiterate that if you go over that game, holding the ball was adjudicated really … (he paused) interestingly throughout the night for both teams.
“It’s a really hard rule to adjudicate … umpires now, we all think we’ve got hard jobs – they’ve got the hardest of all.”