By Saturday night, one of these two coaches will be an undisputed great. So will their footy club

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Three flags would see him join Reg Hickey as a triple premiership Cats’ coach. He won two as a Lions’ player under Matthews.

While both heavily influenced by Matthews, they are different personalities.

There is no way Scott would be revealing his vinyl collection at home as Fagan once did on Fox Footy, although he did reveal a liking for Australian band Gang of Youths in a rare window into his private sphere at a media conference a month ago.

The fiercely competitive pair have had their moments. A famous verbal exchange between them at quarter-time of a classic encounter at Kardinia Park in 2021 led to Scott receiving a suspended fine from the AFL.

The Cats’ coach revels in such exchanges, which can sometimes lead to him failing to recognise, in the moment, the impact they have on others. He had to apologise to an AFL staffer after having a conversation with her he soon regretted following the qualifying final when his relatively recent penchant for wanting to weigh into matters outside his control got the better of him.

But the best version of himself, which is on display most of the time, is a model of consistency who makes smart observations about the game, readying the team for battle on 359 occasions for 245 wins and two draws. It’s a crazy record, given the team has morphed into different beasts three or four times during his reign.

Bailey Smith with his Geelong coach Chris Scott.

There were 11 players in the team on Friday night against Hawthorn who did not play in the 2022 flag as the Cats have developed into a running machine, mastering the transition game with a combination of power, speed and endurance.

Scott is meticulous in his planning and trains others to carry out the plans. A previous tendency to conservatism in selection has also changed, take for example the addition of Jhye Clark to the team this finals series, which was rewarded with a fine performance from the youngster on Friday night.

Fagan has three teenagers in his team – Levi Ashcroft, Sam Marshall and Tyler Gallop, each selected in the 2024 draft via the father-son and academy process. They have helped the team overcome injury, Joe Daniher’s absence and an opening final loss to find their way into another grand final.

He has Darcy Wilmot – the son of a former Magpies player, Grant – who has played 13 finals for 10 wins in 82 consecutive games since his debut in a final in his first season. Jaspa Fletcher, who has not missed a game on his way to a third grand final, and premiership forward Logan Morris, who has kicked 75 goals in 44 matches holding down the key-forward post.

They have slotted into a team which moves the ball by foot in piercing fashion, taking uncontested marks and using angles to spread the opposition. Cam Rayner’s goal just before three-quarter time in the preliminary final came at the end of eight uncontested or barely contested marks in an exquisite example of ball control.

Fagan can be cranky, and like all coaches gets on his high horse, too, but it’s rare. Any fire he shows often ends with a knowing smile and an admission that his desire to win or find out about an injury mid-game has tested his patience.

Both coaches carry a competitiveness within that can sometimes be difficult for others to appreciate. And both are blessed with playing lists that are fiercely loyal to them, in sync with their thoughts and trust his decisions. The players also understand their coaches have been instrumental in attracting stars to their team with programs that set them up to succeed in both football and life.

And as football lifers, despite their occasional differences, there is a mutual respect between Fagan and Scott. Fagan’s appreciation for Scott has grown in the past six years as he has learnt to understand how much a toll being a contender every year can take on one’s emotions.

Both these coaches are brilliant at their craft, and have withstood the pressure of big moments time and time again.

The time has come for them to go head-to-head in a grand final, and by Saturday night one of their clubs will have their fifth AFL premiership since 2000, more than any other rival.

Time for some tough calls at Collingwood

Magpies’ coach Craig McRae admitted after the preliminary final loss to the Lions, his club would be more balanced in its approach to this year’s player exchange period than it was last season when he declared he wanted “players not picks”.

The more balanced approach may have arrived a year too late. The premise was fine if Collingwood won the flag. But after finishing their season with six losses in their final nine matches, the risks have been exposed.

Collingwood need to re-sign Jamie Elliott who kicked 60 goals in 2025.

The Magpies are poised to enter this year’s draft without a pick before 34, but they will have access to the highly rated Zac McCarthy as well as Jai Saxena, both from their next generation academy, and father-son pick Tom McGuane.

That would be OK if the “players not picks” mantra hadn’t convinced them to give up their rights to a pick in last year’s exceptional draft so they could land Port Adelaide defender Dan Houston. The 28-year-old would want to improve in his second year and beyond to justify the loss of that pick, given the quality emerging from the 2024 draft.

Their “players not picks” timing was poor. A first round pick in last year’s draft would have made their list more balanced than it is now. A premiership would have justified the imbalance. A top four finish, while outstanding, less so.

There are also decisions to be made on senior players. Scott Pendlebury, Steele Sidebottom and Jeremy Howe have already signed, Will Hoskin-Elliott has retired. Tom Mitchell is out of contract, and every sign points to him finishing with the Magpies. Mason Cox was reasonable in the finals, but he is out of contract and his departure would open up chances for young ruckman Oscar Steene.

They have to retain Jamie Elliott, having left him unsigned until now as their forward power is lacking, particularly if Brody Mihocek takes up an offer to join Melbourne. Mihocek has been a great player, but the Magpies’ decision to only offer him two seasons is reasonable.

The attempt to get a key forward is ongoing, but their Hail Mary attempt to get into the Charlie Curnow conversation, which other clubs believe had them prepared to contemplate trading Jordan De Goey is short-term thinking. Bobby Hill has personal issues, but there may be an avenue to trade him for a reasonable selection in the draft.

They need to draft forwards and develop them now alongside Charlie West and Will Hayes, while Reef McInnes’ return should shore up the backline where Will Parker just plays.

Retaining Pendlebury, Sidebottom and Howe is understandable at minimum-chips pay. But that trio, as well as Jack Crisp, must be prepared to make way at times to give younger players time at AFL level in their roles. After three seasons with Ed Allan, they need to back him in with the returning Henry Harrison and impressive Roan Steele to have an impact in the middle, giving ground to gain ground.

McRae was entitled to chase the flag. His three top-four finishes and a premiership is an outstanding return from this group. But 17 of the 23 premiership players in 2023 played on Saturday against the Lions, while just 12 of the 23 in Geelong’s 2022 flag played with the Cats on the Friday night.

It’s turnover time, Magpies. Otherwise, a cliff is coming.

Bye bye bye or is it by the by?

I can’t imagine how Geelong’s Tom Stewart is feeling about missing a grand final with concussion, but his teammate Max Holmes, the Lions’ Oscar McInerney and Collingwood’s Dan McStay can probably relate. They all missed grand finals with injury.

Tom Stewart was concussed when his arms were pinned in a tackle which saw Hawthorn’s Mabior Chol suspended for three matches.

It’s shocking luck, but do we really need to change the system because of concussion protocols which may evolve anyway to force players into a longer stretch out of the game? At least with the current system, the Cats’ call is cut and dried, and the enormous pressure on the club doctor on Friday night isn’t just kicked two weeks down the road, as it might be if a player in Stewart’s position was not recovering from a knock.

I can see other reasons to change the time of the weekend off late in the season, but the arguments would need to be better than just the simple reason that it would allow a player ruled out with concussion in a preliminary final to play in a grand final.

And by the way, if a pre-grand final bye was introduced, along with the proposed wildcard round, then a club following Geelong’s path this year to the grand final would have a week’s rest, win, a week’s rest, win, and another week’s rest before playing in the grand final. That disjointed schedule is why the wildcard round and the pre-grand final bye can’t co-exist.

Hawthorn are two midfielders short

Hawthorn were brave against Geelong, but they lacked a couple of midfielders to compete around the ball. Will Day is on their list, but another player will be handy which is why they want Essendon’s Zach Merrett and wanted the Eagles’ Harley Reid.

A disappointed Sam Mitchell leaves the MCG after Hawthorn’s preliminary final loss.

Now they have to turn their attention to who they are prepared to trade to get Merrett, and whether they can convince anyone to make that leap. Essendon won’t trade yet, but when they do, they will want a reasonable player as well as pick eight to do any deal for a captain with two years remaining on his contract.

Mitch Lewis and Jack Scrimshaw helped their cases to stay with a good final, while Cam McKenzie and the uncontracted Henry Hustwaite may not satisfy Essendon, even if they were happy to move.

A midfielder could be the difference. What or, more importantly, who are the Hawks prepared to sacrifice?

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