Chris Scott on… Isaac Smith
I've always followed Isaac closely. I'm not sure how many people would know, but I was appointed at the end of 2010, pretty much right before the draft when Isaac was taken and one of the first things that I did on official duties with Stephen Wells was to take the drive up to Ballarat to see Isaac.
Isaac answered the door, in bare feet, he knew we were coming, but still in bare feet and that was symbolic of the approach that Isaac has taken to his footy.
It was very painful to watch him play over the next ten years knowing we'd just missed out on bringing him to the Cats but it was just so nice to get him back.
When Isaac came he was able to embody to our players and in particular, our young players, that you can be highly successful, highly competitive and ruthless on the field but also be a relaxed, authentic person off the field and he's never lost that.
Chris Scott on… Tom Hawkins
He's looking good but he won't play tomorrow night.
It's a good sign that he's making good progress and we fully expect him to play before the end of the home and away season.
Chris Scott on… Jack Henry
Jack Henry unfortunately is having a really tough run. He's undergone surgery to correct a Lisfranc injury, so that's a long-term situation for him. That'll be four months until he comes back but at least give him a chance to have a full pre-season.
It's worth saying with Jack, he's had some trouble with his feet now, and his previous issues have been with his other foot, but they're all unrelated.
He'll recover from this injury the same way he'll recover from the injury on his other foot and the professionals are supremely confident that after four or five months rehab he'll be able to get on with the rest of his career.
Chris Scott on… Shannon Neale
On the flip side, it gives Shannon Neale an opportunity to come in and play in our forward line. We were really optimistic about what Shannon could do at the start of the season but he just had some bad luck as well and found himself injured at the wrong time.
It's been a bit of a frustrating year for him but you can have a frustrating year and come in and have a few big moments at the end and it makes up for all of it. We're excited about the prospect of Shannon.
