AFL 2024: Brad Scott defends Geelong captain Patrick Dangerfield

Essendon coach Brad Scott says it’s “unrealistic” to expect players making a tackle to release a pinned arm as he supported the tribunal’s decision to clear Geelong captain Patrick Dangerfield, who will now line up against the Bombers on Saturday night

Scott said all his planning for the Geelong clash had been in the expectation that the star Cats midfielder would play after he received a one-match ban for his tackle on Carlton’s Sam Walsh on Friday night.

The AFL had made it clear slamming players into the ground in a tackle was an unacceptable action.

But Scott said the waters were still murky when it came to “duty of care” and pinning opponents’ arms.

“The expectation that AFL prosecutors put on that you’ve got to release an arm, I think is unrealistic,” he said.

“To my eye live, I thought Danger exercised his duty of care and tried to hold (Sam) Walsh up.

“Arms pinned, that’s generally how you tackle, so to expect players to pull (their opponent) back, not let their head hit the ground but release an arm at the same time and hold them with one arm … there’s a lot of expectation on players and I thought Danger explained it pretty well.”

The Bombers coach was looking for a way to keep Nate Caddy in his near full-strength side after an impressive second game against West Coast on Sunday.

A late inclusion for a rested Todd Goldstein, last year’s No. 10 pick booted two goals, including a brilliant effort from the boundary for his first AFL major, as Scott pushed Harry Jones onto a wing to accommodate the late inclusion.

Unless Jones remained up the ground, the Bombers could field five forwards all taller than 190cm against a Geelong backline that has struggled badly since the round 9 loss to Port Adelaide.

“How we structure that (forward line) is still a challenge, and to be honest, we’re still a bit undecided on it,” Scott said on Wednesday.

“We’d like to play (Caddy). If he doesn’t play, it won’t be through lack of performance or lack of effort, it’ll just be us trying to work through what our structure looks like from week to week.

“But he’ll play a big part in our second half of the year for sure and obviously our future going forward.”

Jade Gresham, who missed the Eagles clash for personal reasons, trained fully on Wednesday and was set to return to the side against Geelong.

Scott said Goldstein was “fresh, fit and available” but indicated he was unlikely to return alongside Sam Draper after an impressive comeback from knee surgery for the younger ruckman.

“Horses for courses, and it will continue to be that throughout the season,” Scott said when asked whether he would go back to the two-ruck system the Bombers used earlier in the year.

“But also all things being equal with the opposition, we’d like to have a preferred way that we go in, and we’re not settled on that.

“And that’s OK too because we want to be in a position where we’re picking the team based on form … and sometimes you don’t have the luxury because you don’t have the availability to do it, but right now we do. We were rapt with Draper on the weekend, I thought he came back strongly.”

Scott said the Bombers would be happy keeping Goldstein fresh rather than playing him in the VFL if he did not make the senior side.

“He might, but I doubt it. If he was a player who hasn’t played 300-plus games (then maybe) … is there a lot to be gained by playing VFL? The answer with him is probably no,” the coach said.

The Essendon coach said he was rapt to see former captain Dyson Heppell reach the 250-game milestone on Saturday night after missing a full season in the prime of his career due to the WADA suspension on Bombers players.

“I’m happy to say it publicly – I think 99.99 per cent of players get more from football than they contribute to football,” Scott said.

“Dyson Heppell is one player who I think our club owes a debt of gratitude to. He’s led our club through tumultuous periods, he’s just an unbelievable club man and unbelievable teammate.

“He’s universally loved and respected through the organisation and I hope throughout the competition.

“To see him play 250 games, and still playing at a really, really high level. He’s just been a warrior for us.

“You meet some great people in footy but none better than Dyson Heppell.”