Essendon coach Brad Scott says ruckman Sam Draper still has plenty of room to express his personality and be funny, but not at the expense of an opposition coach.
Draper earned the ire of Essendon and Western Bulldogs officials for his podcast comments in which he questioned the future of Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge.
Sam Draper of the Essendon Firemen.Credit: Getty
While impersonating a reporter as part of a fun role-play, Draper said some Bulldogs players would ask for a trade at the end of the season if Beveridge stays on as coach.
Beveridge called the comments weird, and Scott wasn't happy either.
“I was very disappointed with Sam, and it's very, very clear how disappointed he was,” Scott said after Essendon's thrilling six-point win over West Coast last night.
“He thought he was in an environment where he thought he was being funny, and I said, 'dude, that's the farthest thing from being funny, it's disrespectful.'
“Our club has had to fight very hard for a long period of time to earn respect in this competition, and that's just something that eats away.
“I was very disappointed with him, but at the same time I see these opportunities to help educate and work with players. It's not about hanging him out to dry, but he knows he's done wrong.”
Firefighters coach Brad Scott addresses his charges at quarter time.Credit: AFL photos
While Scott wasn't pleased with Draper's comments on the podcast, he's encouraging the 25-year-old to remain a character, within reason.
“I think the game has a lot of room for some color,” Scott said.
“The curtains add massive colour. I see a lot of four- and five-year-olds running around in mullets with the number two on their backs in an Essendon jumper, and it's fantastic. I love it.
“He's a very marketable guy and he's a lovely guy. He's a lot of fun to be around and a great club guy.
“But there is a line in terms of what is color and what is extroversion and what is disrespectful.”
Draper was a notable absentee from the win over West Coast, with Scott confirming the move was made to rest the ruckman's sore knee.
“We would have loved him tonight, but we went through a cycle with Drapes last year where we kept playing him and he had a sore knee,” Scott said.
“I just wanted to break that cycle. So as long as the knee is OK, he'll play next week.”
Jye Caldwell is also expected to be fit to face GWS at Marvel Stadium next Saturday despite being substituted against West Coast with a tight calf.
Essendon's 11.11 (77) to 11.5 (71) win over West Coast improved their season record to 5-2-1.
