Bombers’ legend tips Scott to be ‘ruthless’

ESSENDON great Matthew Lloyd is tipping Brad Scott to make some ruthless calls on the club’s list this off-season.

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.

The club’s 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.

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.

“I think when you’re a coach, and I’m all for what went on [at the end of 2022], those changes needed to happen,” Lloyd said on Nine’s Sunday Footy Show.

“But you don’t sometimes get what you want and what you need initially as a coach.

“I think the way they finished the year, I think Brad Scott’s going to be absolutely ruthless on the list and potentially the staff as well.

“I think it was for the benefit and I think the way they’ve finished was a great reality and a good thing that, ‘No, you’re not that close’.

“What happened at the end of the year is maybe more the reality. They need to go hard.”

Andrew Phillips and Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti both retired after Friday’s game against Collingwood.

Darcy Parish, Brandon Zerk-Thatcher, Harrison Jones, Massimo D’Ambrosio, Patrick Voss, Nick Bryan, Will Snelling, Jaiden Hunter, Jye Menzie, Rhett Montgomerie, Cian McBride and Alastair Lord are currently without contracts for 2024.

– LACHLAN GELEIT/ SEN