Open Mike: Don Scott

[Jables]

Let us be judged by our acts, if Don Scott doesn't care any more that's fine with me. He's done enough for the club and if he doesn't feel the club is any good any more all I can do is disagree, he is still a club legend. From what I recall his bitterness with the club actually started with the sacking of Parko. I'm 100% certain his rift with the club is hardly a modern thing, he said that in a 2008 interview. But if we did things the way he wanted we would never have had Jeans, and we would never have Clarkson. Like him I'm not going to get stuck in the past and convince myself he still bleeds Hawthorn. It sucks though.

 

[xellis]

Seems like his main gripe was that the club was no longer run by people he knew and that they aren't all 'football' people, ie Ian Dicker and Kennett running the club.

Its a little strange to me and seems like a natural progression from a club struggling to survive to a professional organisation which is a big business now. Hard for me to say being from a younger generation but what the club stands for remains the same to me. There is still a lot of passion about the club and people that are there for their love of the club. Jason Dunstall for example is a still very central to its operation.

Its sad to hear from him, however I believe he would be one of the few that would view the club this way.

 

[Pessimistic]

He naturally contrary and dont underestimate how much more so he would have been due to Mikes interviewing

Mike not smart enough to change tack on his questions

 

[Goodo73]

I like the interview, had alwasy thought he was just being a grump in refusing to come back to the club.

But he made it clear, that back when he played, hawthorn was his local club, like any local club out there today in Australia, with many people who have a long history of involvement with the club, comittee members, trainers etc.

Don mourns the fact, that over time, hawthorn became a highly professional, high performance, elite sporting organisation along with everything which comes with that. Elite coaches , assistant coaches, support staff, administrators etc. No longer people who have been with the club for a long time, but quality people sourced externally to achieve a high level of performance. People who will come and go.

Don mourns the death of his local club (interesting that he started off in Hawks 4th grade, it really was his local club), replaced (from his pov), by a high performance professional organisation, which no longer has the culture or feel, of a local club.

Well said! Sums up my thoughts on the matter nicely. Back in '08 I heard him say he went to the GF as an AFL life member, and not a former Hawthorn player, and it bewildered me. This interview helped explain that seemingly-odd position.

IIRC, Scott has said previously that he was actually in favour of a merger at the time, but felt that the pro-merger leaders weren't being up-front and honest with the members/supporters. It was that fact that led him to the velcro-Hawk moment, to make clear what was really happening.

 

[Flukey!]

I wouldn't read too much into the older generation (Don) always thinking things were better in their day.
Every generation is like that and there are some aspects of footy I prefer from 30 years ago as well.
I thinks its just pretty typical that as you get older, you tend to think that way.

 

[Watsclarkosmob]

Just what Don said has got me thinking a bit about the Hawthorn community and the Hawthorn Football Club. As I live in Brissy I don't know the day to day life of Glenferrie Oval, last time I popped in to see it last year it was run down, graffiti at the back of the Michael Tuck stand, grass very poor and fences all rusting with a hand full of Indians playing cricket on it.

What if the club was to turn this into a Junior football club under the Hawthorn Hawks name, I don't know the geography of the area junior football clubs wise and whether this would take away from other clubs in the area. This to me would bring back a bit more of that local footy club feel and also get use of Glenferrie Oval and stop it deteriorating.

 

[childeric]

Just to highlight what Scotty feels, when Robson left yo go to essendon we found out the club had funded Robsons MBA. They arent cheap !

Robson was hired as a qualified CEO not someone of football background whs education needed broadening.

Kids don't scrimp and save to buy memberships etc for it to be 'wasted' like that.

Scotty is obviously quite contrary and headstrong, but he is a rivetting speaker with a very listenable voice. No wonder he was a footy commentator (which wasnt mentioned) Scotty had no thought to say what he thought his audience might want to here, and seemed to ramble to the casual observer. A bit like Sam Newman really.
Sam inteviewing Don would be much better. Mike is too stiff and too much of a square.

I didnt take it that Don was criticizing the club today so much as saying it wasnt for him. Theres lots of people agree with him. Theres a story in every nook and cranny of glenferrie oval but Kennet and co had a fire sale and moved on

Don was way too honest and opinionated a commentator

He would point out if a player lacked courage or was playing badly, he wouldn't follow the usual "boys' club" rules we see today, where they say a player is "ordinary" rather than "pathetic"

He didn't mind rattling cages

 

[Goldnbrown]

great player, helped save the club from a merger, but clearly a very odd guy, I felt sorry for him, seems to have a lot of anger or hatred or soemthing bubbling below the surface, how he can have no interest or love for the hawks is a bit bemusing to me

 

[Pessimistic]

Just what Don said has got me thinking a bit about the Hawthorn community and the Hawthorn Football Club. As I live in Brissy I don't know the day to day life of Glenferrie Oval, last time I popped in to see it last year it was run down, graffiti at the back of the Michael Tuck stand, grass very poor and fences all rusting with a hand full of Indians playing cricket on it.

What if the club was to turn this into a Junior football club under the Hawthorn Hawks name, I don't know the geography of the area junior football clubs wise and whether this would take away from other clubs in the area. This to me would bring back a bit more of that local footy club feel and also get use of Glenferrie Oval and stop it deteriorating.

Thats a good thing isnt it ?

Actuallly its pronounced unsafe for any level of footy above auskick - the tight walls are too close in.
Have seen soccer games there recentlym seems like sacriledge but at least its sport of some form.
Hawthorn amateurs have a very nice footy ground not far away

 

[Paul Kersey]

Think you're looking for something which isn't there.

 

[Watsclarkosmob]

Thats a good thing isnt it ?

Actuallly its pronounced unsafe for any level of footy above auskick - the tight walls are too close in.
Have seen soccer games there recentlym seems like sacriledge but at least its sport of some form.
Hawthorn amateurs have a very nice footy ground not far away

Hmmmm alright....how about a Hawthorn socal club with a nice beer garden? It would be nice if the club could tidy it up that's all.

 

[Pessimistic]

Biggest bunch of Nimbys going around live next to the oval. long story

 

[seysearles]

Notwithstanding the fact that he has contributed a great deal to the history of the club, he seemed a bit defensive to me. Even with regard to Mike's playful comments about his clothing when he snapped back something about Mike looking unprofessional. I hope he means what he says about not needing to be involved with or wanted by the club at all because I suspect that it's almost the opposite and he resents that he hasn't been included. Anyhow, the game would be a bit boring if everyone was the same. Whats more he has contributed a great deal to this club on which grounds i'll back him in whatever he says or does.

On the scale of cringey ex-players he still sits comfortably above Brereton, Dunstall and Crawford. Ohh why did i have to grow up and realise that my childhood heroes were actually just suburban rednecks?

 

[Pessimistic]

Like when he said he got into football so he could avoid having to exercise his fathers horses

My daughter would love to have that hardship

 

[B&GBlood]

Would not have though Don and Dunstall could be classified as Rednecks? I do however concur on the overall conclusion if not the classification.

 

[crazywildhorse]

Basically... we need Don Scott to come back to the 7 commentary team.

 

[The BIG X]

Don't want c7 to lose their last 100 viewers

 

[Henry Jr]

 

[Arkadia]

Don Scott is one of a kind, just when you think you worked him out, he comes out with a beauty of a comment.
I remember him towards the end of the 70's and early 80's, he gave his all for the club....but what was done in the past you cannot change and i think Don still holds some grudges with the way he was treated. He and Leigh Matthews did not get along, but on the football field they were the best VFL Ruck-Rover combinations of the game. Don Scott will Always be Hawthorn no matter what he says. 1996 is a classic example.

 

[Goodo73]

great player, helped save the club from a merger, but clearly a very odd guy, I felt sorry for him, seems to have a lot of anger or hatred or soemthing bubbling below the surface, how he can have no interest or love for the hawks is a bit bemusing to me

I don't know that he needs, and nor would he want, sympathy or pity from anyone. I agree he comes across as something of an odd fella, both in word and fashion, but he's allowed his opinions, even if we have some difficulty understanding them. For DS a football club is the people, and it appears he doesn't get that same feeling from Hawthorn now.