ESSENDON great Matthew Lloyd is tipping Brad Scott to make some ruthless calls on the club\u2019s list this off-season.<\/p>\n
While Essendon showed initial signs of dramatic improvement under Scott and were headed for a finals finish midway through the season, their 2023 ended poorly with a 126-point defeat to GWS in round 23 and a 70-point loss to Collingwood in round 24.<\/p>\n
The club\u2019s final win-loss record for the season ended at 11 and 12 and Lloyd said he thinks Scott will now begin to craft the list as he sees fit.<\/p>\n
After mass change at the end of 2022 at the management level, Lloyd said he thinks the club must now look to make drastic adjustments on-field.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think when you\u2019re a coach, and I\u2019m all for what went on [at the end of 2022], those changes needed to happen,\u201d Lloyd said on Nine\u2019s Sunday Footy Show.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you don\u2019t sometimes get what you want and what you need initially as a coach.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the way they finished the year, I think Brad Scott\u2019s going to be absolutely ruthless on the list and potentially the staff as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it was for the benefit and I think the way they\u2019ve finished was a great reality and a good thing that, \u2018No, you\u2019re not that close\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened at the end of the year is maybe more the reality. They need to go hard.\u201d<\/p>\n
Andrew Phillips and Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti both retired after Friday\u2019s game against Collingwood.<\/p>\n
Darcy Parish, Brandon Zerk-Thatcher, Harrison Jones, Massimo D\u2019Ambrosio, Patrick Voss, Nick Bryan, Will Snelling, Jaiden Hunter, Jye Menzie, Rhett Montgomerie, Cian McBride and Alastair Lord are currently without contracts for 2024.<\/p>\n