In Defence Of Chris Scott And Oscar Allen | THE VOLCANZO

Chris Scott has received a lot of flack for making honest and frank comments on the Oscar Allen situation at West Coast. Basically, the Eagles and lots of fans, both of the club and not, where unhappy that the captain of the side was considering his trade options and speaking to clubs.

Chris Scott has been criticised for defending Oscar Allen considering his trade options

Before I get to Caroline Wilson and Tony Shaw's pretty lousy rebuttals, let's get to the heart of the matter. There is nothing wrong with Allen wanting to explore the possibilities, especially from a club where he clearly feels a little bit disrespected at. It is pretty clear he is unhappy with what is role is like on the footy field right now. It shouldn't matter that he's the club captain or it's April, in a modern sporting league. Of course, several would rather the AFL not be that, which brings me to Shaw. Shaw took issue when Scott said "It’s probably good fodder, isn’t it. I would argue anyone who played footy before 2000 hates it and anyone who started playing footy after 2010 is probably okay with it."

Shaw labelled these comments "juvenile" saying that "I’ll tell you now. Any 13-year-old kid now who knows football now knows what free agency is. But it doesn’t mean that you have to like it." to which I say Tony they might not like it, that doesn't mean you're right. I think our culture is obsessed by poll numbers. That tells us zilch on whether something is right or wrong, moral or not. Shaw goes on to say "And the juvenile thing from Chris Scott is that he comes out and says, ‘I could have been discussing his golf swing’. Does he think we’re all idiots?" Um, yes, yes I do. AFL fans, and I'm including the media in this come across as the dumbest in sport and I'd add juvenile too. They don't understand the rules or the tribunal, and while that is hard, it's like most don't care. I stand by my earlier Volcanzo statement: there is next to no clearly illegal act that is done by a player on a footy field, where the action won't be defended by someone online more or less because of the jumper worn. That is where we are at. Not that this is all unfair. Fan is short for fanatic, so I expect a little bit of over-the-top reaction, but Scott has a far more calm head than Shaw or the average fan on Twitter/X.

Oscar Allen is at the center of this debate

Shaw for some reason continues "Oscar Allen then comes out and says – and this shows why Chris Scott is way off the mark here – he says I have sincerely apologized." This is Shaw thinking this make Scott wrong, which is sweet but not true. The Allen apology was a farce, a PR statement and another example of players not being able to do business as they wish. The worst part of Shaw's rant was when he said "Chris Scott has got to come down from the ivory tower which is alphabet stadium and come back down a few levels and come back to the real world because it’s not happening" So who is juvenile, the guy who calmly and forceful articulated his point, or a guy who's best argument is the fact that Geelong's stadium is sponsored by a company whose name is an initialism? As the proverb goes every accusation is a confession. May I just say to the former Collingwood coach and captain, it would be lovely if your former club, could make a trip to play to that venue for the first time in the 3rd millennium. Once you're willing to do that, and call out that disgrace every other week, I'll be happy to take your points more seriously. He also plays the Scott got given a good team card in 2011, which I won't even bother responding to, it's so lazy, especially from a man who took a Collingwood team from just missing the finals to dead last in four years.

Caroline Wilson also had a go at Scott on The Agenda Setters, seemingly not happy with Scott's lack of empathy with fans. I know we have short memories in footy, but given I just did a video on Geelong's 2022 flag, Scott was extremely grateful after the 2022 Grand Final for both sponsors and fans for sticking with AFL through COVID. She then called out fellow panelist Craig Hutchinson, who defended Scott, calling him "a cynical, commercial, commentator and businessman". Which A) proves my point on the whole dumb and juvenile fans thing and B) so what? I hate the notion that media are not fans. It's easy to see that Hutchison has had more of an impact on footy then the average person walking through the gates, due to money SEN pays to broadcast the AFL. The fact of the matter is the media doesn't need to believe in footy fan infallibility, sometimes the average footy fan can be wrong, very wrong. Much like the umpires they bash online, they will make occasional wrong judgements, we don't need to kowtow to them on everything, especially those living in Melbourne. Given this is the reaction to Allen even entertaining the notion of a trade, I can't imagine how footy fans would if and when a mid-season trade goes through.

Oscar Allen was forced to apologise alongside John Worsfold

When it comes to issues such as free agency to the concussion crisis to clash jumpers, people like Shaw and Wilson probably need to listen to the opening lines of that classic Bob Dylan song:

Come gather 'round people

Wherever you roam

And admit that the waters

Around you have grown

And accept it that soon

You'll be drenched to the bone

If your time to you is worth savin'

And you better start swimmin'

Or you'll sink like a stone

For the times they are a-changin'

The times certainly are, especially in footy and well done on Scott for recognising that. The sooner it takes for people like Shaw and Wilson to realise the waters around them has grown the better. When that happens the AFL will be better as a product, and the better things will be for the modern crop of players.

'The Volcanzo' is a regular segment from the podcast arm of Extra Time, where Lorenzo Di-Mauro Hayes goes on a weekly sporting rant. This is the written version of The Volcanzo from Episode 8 of Footy Chat. Make sure to check out all our podcasts at the Extra Time YouTube channel.