Geelong coach Chris Scott is back in the AFL’s spotlight following the Ken Hinkley drama, where the Port Adelaide coach was fined $20,000 for his post-match brawl with players by Hawthorn Jack Ginnivan and James Sicily. The veteran Power coach chose to attack Ginnivan after his side’s semi-final win over the Hawks, sparking a bitter war of words with Hawthorn captain Sicilia and putting the veteran mentor under fire.
The ugly post-match scenes overshadowed the Power’s thrilling win, but at the same time it was exciting theater and sparked debate in the AFL world. Hinckley’s actions were condemned by Luke Hodge, Jordan Lewis and Dermott Brereton and coach Power accepted a $20,000 fine from the AFL this week for misconduct. Weighing in on the saga and addressing the AFL’s fine against Hinkley, Geelong coach Scott pressed the league not to use him for code promotion in the future, but admitted he didn’t think that would be the case . “If it’s a bad image for the game, it should never be promoted again and the AFL should get away from it. “But I don’t think so,” Scott told Channel Seven’s Talking Footy. Asked if the AFL could use the bitter clash as a promotional tool next time Port face Hawthorn, Scott made his feelings clear. “They will use it to enhance the rivalry that could develop between these two teams,” the Geelong coach added. “But I also recognize that things that start out as friendly banter can escalate very quickly.
“And the AFL is a bit of a strange organization because it doesn’t govern the elite competitions, it governs football at all levels. So it has a responsibility to make sure things don’t escalate at the lower levels, but the chances of escalation – knowing the people we know in the game – are zero”.