AFL 2025: Essendon coach Brad Scott on how the Bombers will halt Nick Daicos on Anzac Day
Essendon coach Brad Scott is open to trying 'something different' to quell the influence of Collingwood superstar Nick Daicos on Anzac Day in what looms an almighty MCG challenge after season-ending injuries to both first-choice ruckmen.
Having already lost Nick Byran to a ACL injury, the Bombers are also without Sam Draper who ruptured his Achilles and will now turn to 36-year-old Todd Goldstein as their likely No.1 big man.
Scott said while Goldstein entered 2025 with a different role as a mentor and back-up he 'wants to play' and would be ready, again, for the big stage with 329 games of AFL experience on his side.
'He's played a selfless role, a big part of his role is developing Visentini, Draper, Bryan, but that doesn't mean he doesn't want to play, he wants to play,' the coach said of Goldstein, who played 14 games in 2024, the last in Round 20.
'He's always said to me 'I will do what's best for the team, when you need me I'll be ready'. Now we're in a situation where it's likely we'll need him.
'There's a lot of superlatives you could use in reference to Todd Goldstein but one of them main ones is resilience.
Todd Goldstein is going to be needed on Anzac Day. (Photo by)
'He plays the lot of game time for a ruckman, he very rarely misses a training session let alone a game, so if anyone can do it he can do it.
'We have very good ruck depth on our list.
Scott also pointed to other big men including Zach Reid, Vigo Visentini, and Peter Wright as 'options' for stoppage work against where Daicos looms as the Magpie to stop on the ground.
The 22-year-old star has shrugged off multiple tagging attempts from opposition clubs this year, including last week against reigning premiers Brisbane at the Gabba.
He collected 38 disposals, 12 score involvements, eight clearances and a goal in the Magpies' 52-point win over the previously undefeated Lions.
Scott says the Bombers will grade their role on Daicos by his impact over his possession count.
'We'll try (tag him), he'll certainly have an opponent, I suspect multiple,' he said.
'We'll try and learn from others as well but the problem is whether he's tagged or not tagged he's going to be influential.
Nick Daicos of the Magpies was unstoppable against Brisbane. Photo by)
'There's not going to be one sort of mode of attack with him, he's like all absolute top-line players, whether they're tagged or not, they find a way to be influential.
'We've got to find a way to curve that, we suspect it's going to be hard to stop him from getting the ball.
'So if you judge his game purely on possessions that's going to be a challenge, but that's not how we're going to measure it.'
Scott believes a method of tagging Daicos out of the game is yet to prove effective and is willing to explore other options this Friday.
'I think Brisbane were pretty open with the fact they went with a team approach in the first half and then changed it after that,' he said.
'That didn't work either, the reality is that everyone goes in with a plan, I haven't really observed one that's worked for any period of time yet.
'We either try and execute those plans better or we try something different.'
Originally published as Essendon coach Brad Scott reveals how the Bombers will halt Nick Daicos on Anzac Day
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