Semi Final - 7:50pm, Friday, 12 September @ MCG
It is the second week of September and there are no second chances. Semi Finals are cut throat affairs with no consolation for the loser. Geelong were gallant for the first half against Hawthorn, but could not keep up with the Hawks over four quarters. Conversely, the Kangaroos were sluggish at the start of their elimination final against Essendon and managed to wrestle back momentum when it mattered most. The two games were characteristic of the type of performances each side has delivered this year. North Melbourne play their best football on the big stage, winning four games against top four sides this season. They have also shown a lack of ruthlessness when they face side they are expected to beat, losing to Brisbane (15th) and Carlton (13th) in the second half of the year. The Cats have been fast starters, ranking first in first quarters and second in second quarters. They have then allowed their opposition to claw their way back into the contest. North Melbourne have the chance to win consecutive finals for the first time since 1999 and will not succumb to the mental lapses that have been so costly this season. Geelong’s poor finishes have been less costly as they have still been able to clinch victory in the close games. The Cats have won eight games this year by 13 points or less and are now on their ninth and final life. High quality performance requires physical commitment and mental strength. Progression into a preliminary final will require nothing less than high quality performance for the full four quarters.
KEY MATCH-UP - CHRIS SCOTT vs BRAD SCOTT
Chris Scott was selected by the then Brisbane Bears with the 12th pick of the 1993 national draft. He played 215 games over 14 seasons, including two premierships. Scott was a ferocious and unrelenting footballer, whose greatest assets were his physical strength and contested appetite. When he retired in 2007 he immediately joined the coaching ranks as an assistant at Fremantle. Scott served a short apprenticeship before taking the senior position at Geelong. He achieved instant success, setting a new record with 13 wins at the start of his coaching tenure on the way to claiming football’s ultimate prize. Chris has maintained a high level of performance while managing a list in transition. He quickly earned the respect of the senior playing group and together they set high standards to fast track the development of younger Cats. In four seasons as coach Chris Scott has debuted 22 players and never finished a home and away season lower than sixth. During this period he has won 73 out of 96 games for a winning record of 76%, the best of any coach in the competition.
Brad Scott is three minutes younger than his twin brother, but joined the coaching fraternity a year earlier. After serving under Mick Malthouse as an assistant at Collingwood, Brad took the helm at North Melbourne at the end of 2009. The team he inherited was consistently middle ranked, having never dropped to the bottom after their successful era in the late 90s. Without the benefit of high draft picks, North Melbourne took a very considered approach to once again become a premiership threat. The club’s progression is not dissimilar to that of the Cats under Mark Thompson. In fact Thompson was himself an assistant coach of the Kangaroos’ 1999 premiership team. Brad Scott has overseen a massive overhaul of the North Melbourne playing list during his five seasons in charge and he is now expected to deliver success. He has a 53% winning record and last Saturday won his first final as senior coach, a major milestone for both Brad and his team. Together at Brisbane the two Scott brothers achieved greatness, participating in two of the club’s three premierships during their playing careers. The context is starkly different this week, with the Scotts in charge of opposing clubs. In their six previous encounters, Chris’ Cats have won four games and Brad’s Kangaroos just the two. For both of the Scott brothers, a win on Friday will mean more than those six games combined.
LAST TIME THEY MET - Round 19, 2014 @ Etihad Stadium
Geelong 16.15 (111)
North Melbourne 10.19 (79)
Both sides were returning from a bye but it was North Melbourne who started the game like a refreshed side. After falling behind by two goals early in the game Geelong hit back, kicking the next six to lead by 28 points. Momentum swung back and forth during the next forty minutes of play and two goals was again the margin, this time to the Cats, at three quarter time. Geelong enjoyed another goal scoring spree with five unanswered majors late in the match. Two more goals to the Kangaroos effected only percentage as the result was beyond doubt. Anyone doubting the importance of Allen Christensen, who remains under an injury cloud, need only recall his best afield performance against the Kangaroos. He contributed a game-high eight inside 50s with his 29 disposals and led the Cats with five clearances. Levi Greenwood was North Melbourne’s most influential player last week and had 27 possessions in the last match against Cats.
DID YOU KNOW?
Chris and Brad Scott are not the only brothers to share a coaching rivalry at the highest level. Norm Smith, after whom the medal for best on ground in a grand final is named, coached against his older brother Len. Norm Smith played 210 games for Melbourne between 1935 and 1948, before moving to Fitzroy to become captain coach for three seasons. In 1952 he returned to the Demons, where he coached 307 games over 16 years, including six premierships.
Len Smith joined Melbourne in 1934 and played for year alongside his brother, before moving to the Lions. Len played eight seasons and then coached Fitzroy and the side until 1962. He later coach Richmond for the 1964 and 1965 seasons. During his time as coach Len combatted his brother Norm several times, most notably in a final in 1960. In front of 79,796 fans at the MCG Norm’s Demons thumped Len’s Lions by 62 points.
September 10, 1960
Fitzroy 4.16 (40)
Melbourne 14.18 (102)
