Scott enjoyed dinner at McLachlans
Chris Scott was one of the many senior coaches who joined AFL CEO for dinner
Scott, who was among 11 senior coaches who gathered at McLachlan's home on Monday night, said some good suggestions emerged from the meeting.
While Scott did not go into specifics, he said the conversation focused in broad terms on making the game as accessible and enjoyable as possible for newcomers and die-hard fans alike.
"There was a little bit about the state of the game and the way it was played and ... some of the challenges more broadly, making sure we build attendances and make the game attractive to people who have not seen much of our game before," Scott said.
"The coaches don't want to control the game. I don't think they want to even drive the direction of the game necessarily. I just think they want to be available to add their expertise where required and Gill seems to be really open to listening."
Coaches have previously bristled at suggestions they are focused only on winning games and have often felt their expertise is underutilised.
However, there have been moves to tap into the senior coaches' frontline expertise in recent times.
Sydney Swans coach John Longmire and his Hawthorn counterpart Alastair Clarkson both addressed the AFL Commission after leading their clubs to premierships, senior coaches have attended Laws of the Game Committee meetings, and an assistant coach represents the wider AFL coaching fraternity on that committee.
Scott said McLachlan didn't make a big deal on Monday night of exhorting the coaches to play more attractive football and make the game more entertaining; rather it was the subtext beneath much of what was discussed.
"I don't think many people with a real interest in the game have a desire to see the game played in an ugly way," Scott said.
"I understand that everyone probably thinks that coaches would like to win irrespective of how the game looks. I'm not as convinced by that. I think there are ways to achieve both.
"If we have got a really keen sense for the broader game improving then I think that playing an attractive style of football is really important for that and I think fundamentally the coaches are supportive of that."
AFL Commission chairman Mike Fitzpatrick and football operations boss Mark Evans joined McLachlan and the coaches at the historic meeting, and Scott echoed the AFL CEO's desire to for the occasion to be repeated.
"If nothing else I think it was a good starting point and something that everyone involved was keen to see happen again," Scott said.
"If we didn't do it at least a few times a year in the future I would be very surprised."