Eddie McGuire rips Chris Scott over Geelong coach's complaint immediately after grand final

Eddie McGuire and Jimmy Bartel have both criticised Chris Scott after the Geelong coach used his post-AFL grand final press conference to complain about the sub rule. Scott was gracious in defeat and gave the Brisbane Lions the praise they deserved, but also took aim at the sub rule after the 47-point loss.

The Geelong coach said the Cats weren't sure how badly Jeremy Cameron had damaged his arm, and eventually decided against subbing him out. It was later confirmed he's broken his arm in a collision with teammate Patrick Dangerfield in the second quarter, but ended up finishing the game.

Many thought the Cats would sub Cameron out of the game when he was carrying his arm badly in the second half, but it was Rhys Stanley who made way. Once a player is officially 'subbed' out they can't return to the game, and teams can only use one sub outside of the normal interchanges.

Speaking in his presser after the loss, Scott said he didn't want it to "sound like sour grapes", but he'd be “rapt to see the back of the sub rule”. The AFL's new footy boss Greg Swann is considering scrapping the rule next year and changing it to a fifth player on the bench.

"I think we all (would like to see it scrapped), and I'm at the head of the queue," Scott said. "Besides the seriousness of the injury, the challenges there make planning difficult. We were waiting and waiting and waiting and it didn't feel like we could make that sub, until we had some clarity there.

"In the heat of the moment it's hard to work out, is it a crack? Is it a decent break? Can he play, can’t he? And that took a long time to work out. Obviously he was heavily limited from late in the second quarter. I don’t think you have any choice but to submit yourself to the medical team and give them the space to do what they have to do.”

Speaking on the 'Eddie and Jimmy' podcast this week, McGuire and Bartel were both critical of Scott's comments. Bartel pointed out that Brisbane were in a similar situation with Brandon Starcevich going down with concussion after they'd already activated their sub Lachie Neale, while McGuire said it wasn't the right time for Scott to air his gripe.

"He started with the old, 'I'll say one thing, and I hope this doesn't sound like sour grapes', but then decided to open a cask of wine regarding the sub rule," Bartel said. "If you really want to dig into it, Brisbane activated its sub and then lost Starcevich. They were already one down, if you will."

Eddie McGuire says Chris Scott should have waited

Former Collingwood president McGuire suggested Scott would have been better served avoiding the topic of Cameron's injury after they allowed a player with a broken arm (which wasn't confirmed until after) to keep playing. "I'd stay away from Jeremy Cameron because the next question if I'd have been down there would have been, 'Why did you put him back on and endanger his [health]?', McGuire said. "He's got a broken arm, and you've put him back on."

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The Cats didn't know for certain that Cameron had a fracture until he got scans after the game. But McGuire added: "That's a question for down the track. Don't go down that road. You've got to be magnanimous. You can do that the next day.

"I mean, on the day, the great thing about the grand final is you go out there, and whatever happens, the result comes, and you can complain about the umpiring the next day or situations when you go and analyse it a bit more. "The sub rule has been something that people have been screaming about, but everyone has the same rule. It's one of those things.

"It's annoying. Sometimes it works for you, sometimes it works against you, but it's a bit like a tennis player complaining about the conditions - you change ends every two games, it doesn't matter. Everyone is playing in the same place. So are you."

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