Throughout Chris Scott’s coaching career at Geelong, it has been hard to determine whether the tenure has been successful or not.
Taking over from Mark ‘Bomber’ Thompson in 2011, Scott became the first coach since Malcolm Blight in 1997 to win a premiership in his first year. Scott was treated to an ageing but champion team full of stars like Jimmy Bartel, Matthew Scarlett, Paul Chapman, Steve Johnson and others, many of which would win their third flag in five years.
In the eight years following 2011, Scott has led his men to finals in each year except one, playing in 15 finals across that span for just four wins – a win percentage of 26.67% across eight years. That finals record includes five top-four finishes, just a single qualifying final win from those five attempts and four straight losses in preliminary finals over this same span.
Despite the poor finals record, Scott still holds the best winning percentage of any coach in the league, better than even the great Alastair Clarkson, boasting an overall 69.3% winning record from his 215 games at the helm. This percentage is the best of any coach in AFL history that has coached over 100 total games.
But what defines success for Scott?
Where is the line drawn between flat-track bullies at GMHBA Stadium and a successful coach?
(AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
Scott’s win percentage as coach has been largely assisted by his record at GMHBA Stadium. The Cats have played 70 games there during his reign as coach for 61 wins – almost a 90% win rate on their home deck.
Every club plays better on their home ground than any other ground around the AFL. But Geelong has built such a fortress down at Kardinia Park that only Sydney and Fremantle have managed to win more than once since 2011 in Geelong (Sydney an impressive four times).
Take away his record at home, and Scott’s statistics become 87 wins from 145 games, a win percentage of 60% – including his finals record. Holding around a 60% win percentage puts Scott in the same category as recently sacked Adelaide coach Don Pyke and ex-Fremantle and St Kilda coach Ross Lyon. This is also a drop of nearly 10% from Scott’s overall record, which makes you ask if his stats as Geelong coach have been heavily inflated by that fortress at GMHBA Stadium.
The main statistic that will always haunt Chris Scott, however, will be his failing finals record. Much discussion surrounded his bizarre decision to remove Rhys Stanley before the opening bounce of their 2019 qualifying final against Collingwood.
Scott made it seem like an error in judgement, believing it was going to rain before copping a perfectly dry game of footy with Mark Blicavs flung into the main ruck role. What made this decision even more bizarre was the ruckman standing on the other side of the circle was arguably the best big man in the league in Brodie Grundy.
However, this was not Scott’s first major blunder in September. In a 2017 qualifying final, Scott decided to drop Dan Menzel – who had booted nearly 40 goals across 17 games – and decided instead to sling Harry Taylor up forward in a game where Geelong would only manage five goals for the night.
In the same year, Geelong would travel to Adelaide for a preliminary final. Scott decided to play Nakia Cockatoo just six weeks after pulling a third hamstring injury for the year. The under-done Cockatoo only managed 60% game time and failed to impact the game.
In their 2018 elimination final, Scott played Jake Kolodjashnij on a wing. Before that game he had only spent one per cent of his career outside the back line.
Scott has outsmarted himself on too many occasions in finals situations, and under pressure, he has failed to prove that he has a solid Plan B to fall back onto when things aren’t going as planned.
When push comes to shove, Scott has had a talented team for his nine years of coaching and only managed to lead them to one grand final. It can be argued whether the 2011 premiership was the result of good coaching or a champion team. Either way, Scott has not enjoyed September success in the past eight years.
So what do you think Cats fans? Are repeated top eight regular season finishes enough for Chris Scott to be considered a successful coach?
Or is time running out for Scott to take the next step and lead them to another grand final?
asd
Guest
Hes done ok the club hasnt slipped down the ladder . Rebuild on the run is tough
Roy66
Guest
The perception of Chris Scott, both as a coach and bloke suffers from his salty supporter like behaviour in the box and at press conferences. His passion was a strength as a player, but is now his Achilles as a coach. I suspect he would have never been "out" in backyard cricket.
Raimond
Roar Guru
“The club policy is to contend every year.” Are they contenders, though?
Cracka
Roar Rookie
Think he follows Richmond the 2019 premiers.
Cracka
Roar Rookie
I think they have every right to play at their home ground throughout the home and away season, the issue Geelong have, is fronting up on the big stage in finals on the MCG the home of Victorian finals and the home of football.
Cracka
Roar Rookie
You point is crazy, your saying boo who to those that rebuild as they finish in the same spots every year, well so do Geelong, don't see Geelong winning premierships and they won't win next year or the year after, same, same year in and out. You know where you can stick those fingers.
Cracka
Roar Rookie
Football Clubs play for Premierships and players play for Premierships. So Geelong has been as successful in the last 8 years as every other club not to have won a premiership in that time, that doesn't mean Chris Scott is a poor coach, there are only 18 positions to coach at the highest level and I believe each Coach awarded that opportunity is good at what they do thats why they got to that position in the first place. But if you only take in to account the last 8 years then yes Chris Scott and every player on the Geelong list over the time has failed in that period.
Simoc
Guest
Geelong have recruited well for ages and both Scotts can coach with aggression, but obviously Brad was a constant flop. He may get wheeled out again to flop at another club. Chris Scott had the team to win the flag this year but didn't. That is his failing but his record is excellent during the season and certainly he is worth persevering with. I think exWest Coast boss Brian Cook is the best person to have onboard in AFL and if he thinks Chris Scott is best for Geelong, that's good enough for me.
Farnsworth
Roar Rookie
What club I support is irrelevant. The article is about Chris Scott and particularly highlights his disastrous finals record. One of the points I was making was that Geelong might benefit from playing more games on the MCG which is 138 metres across rather than the skinny Kardinia Park which is 116 metres across. After all to become Premiers you have to win on the MCG.
Squiggly
Roar Rookie
Very true, has a great home and away record, but a terrible finals one. And a premiership is what they aim for. His arrogance and stupid decision making have cost them. Get rid of him
Shane
Guest
What loser club do you follow that can't handle the loss of 11m on a wing?
Shane
Guest
I bet your team hasn't been thereabouts and in with a chance as much. It's not the Cats. The club policy is to contend every year. I am happy with that, as opposed to tanking and having years of fruitless development, only to end up in exactly the same spot. Only dogs and Richmond have won GFs off the back of full rebuilds, and both of them were not contending for the majority of that time. Go Cats, stick your finger up at the wannabe losers and keep on having a crack.
Shane
Guest
There's good statistical analysis and then there is garbage. You decide where this fits. Sydney make the Melbourne coterie look like fools. They don't buy into the fortress mentality, and their players have achieved success down there. Then there is the whole idea of taking away Scott's home ground record and comparing it to Pike. Please be clear, Pike's winning record includes their home ground dominance, so you are comparing apples to oranges. Scott is an excellent coach. You should have just asked the other coaches. I'm glad the club doesn't listen to amateurs calling for his head, no other coach would have achieved what he has with the list he has had to work with.
michael RVC
Roar Pro
As compared to Horse?
Farnsworth
Roar Rookie
What an appalling finals record which is not likely to get any better given the loss of Kelly and an ageing list. It probably doesn’t help Chris Scott that he comes across as arrogant, carries on endlessly about playing finals at Kardinia Park and tries to play infantile mind games. Playing at Kardinia Park with its peculiar dimensions is an interesting point. Although it helps get Geelong into the finals, you would have to wonder if more games at the MCG would help their finals cause. Time for a change at the Cattery.
Goalsonly
Roar Rookie
Scotty goes alright don't you worry about that. He's good enough for the cats to be up there next year contending again.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
As l use to say to my grandma, "Classical music? I don't know what the older generation are coming to"
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
I’d get Bob Dylan or Neil Young in there to tell it like it is.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
That's a novel idea. Get the Pies to play away. I wished I'd thought of that.
The Duck
Guest
You have to remember that Geelong doesn't play the "top teams" at home due to ground capacity , haven't for years, so the winning percentage of home games is always going to be better. If they played the Tigers, Hawks, Bombers, Pies at home, they would be more chance of losing thus impacting on winning percentage at home. It is an unfair advantage, as they generally play the "weaker" team's only at home.