Chris Scott – the Name Behind the Geelong Premierships

Geelong has once again caught the premiership title in their claws and will hold it for the next year. Three premierships in the past five years have made them climb to greatness. If the trend continues, their next premiership win will be in 2013. Their climb to the top of the AFL ladder was a remarkable effort this year, as the likelihood was rather slim coming into the season. Part of the scepticism about this year’s footy season for the Geelong Cats was the fact that they had a first year coach joining the ranks.

Who was this man, and what led the Cats to rise above the common expectations laid on them during the first part of the season?

Chris Scott, first year AFL coach, led the Cats to a premiership win that nobody expected them to achieve. He was the 13th man to accomplish this feat so soon in his career. No small feat, this was the first time since 1988 for a coach to make a premiership win in his first coaching season. Premierships were not new to Scott, however, as he’d participated as a player two times previously with the Lions in 2001/02.

As the fans eagerly await the Geelong premiership merchandise to flood the shops, Scott, while acknowledging the questions raised over his team for the coming year, has set his sights on a back-to-back premiership to finish off the 2012 season.

It would seem that coach Scott’s great strength lay in relationships and building up his team, letting each of them know where they stood, and helping them reach their full potential as players and as a team. Communication has been a key factor in his success. He handles the media well, he handles all the issues of the club well, and he’s just generally a good all-round sort of guy.

At the beginning of the season, Scott had lost Gary Ablett to the Gold Coast Suns, and a number of his players had just turned 30, or neared that mark. The season was met with a lot of scepticism from those outside the club, yet Scott rose above that.

Scott was the youngest coach since 1979 to win a grand final. The start to his coaching career was brilliant, winning the first 13 matches of the 2011 season. These 13 wins in one row, finished by a defeat from Esssendon of 4 points, made Scott’s season start the best start a coach has had in 80 years.

During Scott’s playing years, he and his twin brother, Brad, became known as the Kray Brothers, due to their playing style. Known for his force and strength, Scott used his muscle to become one of the AFL’s toughest defensive players. Leading on from his playing strengths, Scott went on to become a remarkable coach whose coaching years are only beginning.

So while stores stock Geelong 2011 premiership merchandise and while Geelong fans get caught in the hubbub and excitement of the premiership win, it pays to take a look at the great names behind the victory. And Chris Scott is certainly one of those great names.


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