Why ‘one of the nicest blokes you’ll meet in footy’ is set to face MRO heat

Geelong great Joel Selwood has defended Chris Scott’s involvement in the Jake Kolodjashnij concussion saga, saying the premiership coach would not have known about a secret waiver.
Selwood said it was unlikely that any AFL coach would have detailed knowledge of their players’ contracts.

“He (Scott) would have inklings to what’s going on, but when it came to contracts, absolutely not,” Selwood told 3AW.

“The coach would have an understanding of where the players’ stand on what they should be paid and who he wants and stuff like that, but he wouldn’t know what a player’s on.

“And in saying that, we are going down to the nth degree on what is in and out of a contract – a lot of them look a hell of the lot the same, and so they should. It is nearly cut and paste across the competition.

“But for Chris to say he doesn’t actually know the ins and outs, I actually believe it.

“I know that doesn’t sit well with a lot of people, but that’s just the way - it’s not the coach’s job to be across that stuff.”

Selwood played in two premierships under Scott, the second as captain in 2022.

“I know people say (about me), ‘very biased, very Geelong focused’,” Selwood said.

“(But) I had a long-running period of time with these people – Craig Drummond, Steve Hocking and management of that football club – and for a mistake to happen as simple as handing in paper, you do say, ‘Yep, not good enough’. And they will get a fine or whatever it is, but I do (believe they) have the duty of care for the player.

“I know that that would have been at the forefront, knowing Craig, and knowing Steve really well.“

Since the issue broke last week, Kolodjashnij has not been available for AFL or VFL selection.
The AFL Commission has engaged James Peters, KC, to help decide the outcome of the league’s investigation.

AFL Legend Leigh Matthews said a coach would not ask for extra information if he was told by a club doctor during the season that ‘you can’t select’ a player.

“Then the senior coach would say, ‘well, I don’t want to know why’,” Matthews told 3AW.

“Twenty years ago now, well over that, the club doctor at the Lions said ‘so and so, don’t play him. I’ll let you know when you can play him’. I think he might have been smoking a bit of weed.

“I think that was the issue, and basically, ‘I’ll let you know when it is out of his system. Just don’t ask why.’ So, you just did what the doctor suggested, you just didn’t pick him for a few weeks.

“It was in the pre-season, admittedly, it was in February, but nevertheless, sometimes you don’t ask the question. (I) never spoke to him (the player) about it. That was the thing, it was a doctor-player confidentiality [thing].

“All the doctor is saying is, ‘don’t pick him’ – because he might get drug tested, clearly, and it would be in his system for a while.”