Brad Scott Dismisses Scrutiny Before Essendon's Richmond Test

brad scott says he is not taking notice of scrutiny over his future as Essendon coach ahead of Friday night’s Dreamtime At The 'G match against Richmond. Essendon entered the game with a 1-9 record and was trying to halt a five-match losing streak after a horror first half against Fremantle last week.

“It is not and has never been about me. Quite frankly, it just doesn't faze me,” Scott said to reporters on Thursday. “I just don't live in that space. I don't think about it.”

Scott and Essendon

He added: “I've been in this game for over 30 years and I understand how things work and what people choose to talk about, and what people are interested in.” “And people can be interested in that - it just doesn't interest me.”

Scott’s comments came with Essendon under pressure after managing just one victory in almost a full year. That stretch included a club record-equalling 17 consecutive losses before a surprise win over Melbourne in Gather Round briefly eased the load.

Matthew Lloyd on crisis

Since that Melbourne result, Essendon has lost five successive games by an average margin of 41 points. The club also faced criticism from Matthew Lloyd, who said a lack of effort from senior players had left Essendon in “crisis”.

Lloyd said he would “hate to think what happens” to Scott’s tenure if Essendon lost to Richmond, but Scott said the focus stayed on the task in front of the club. “We want to go out and win every single game we play,” he said. “That's the objective and that's been a real challenge for us, clearly, for a whole host of reasons over the last 18 months.”

Scott is contracted to the end of next season, and Friday night’s Richmond meeting gave Essendon another chance to turn a damaging run into something more manageable. For supporters, the numbers are blunt: 1-9, one win in almost a full year, and a streak that has already tied a club record.