Talking on Channel 9’s Sunday Footy Show, Scott singled out the group in charge at Aegis Park.
“They’re a very resilient group of players. We’re really fortunate to have some great leaders. Andrew Swallow’s just been an outstanding first-year captain and his performances are certainly backing it up. Off-field he’s been outstanding.
“Drew Petrie and Brent Harvey have been there for a long time but Jack Ziebell and Daniel Wells have been exceptional in their leadership so as a coach you look to your leaders in times like that and the leaders certainly stepped up.”
North had 17 more handballs than kicks in Saturday’s victory against Melbourne and is frequently labelled a ‘handball-happy’ team, but Scott admitted the balance is constantly worked on.
“When you play at Etihad under the roof in perfect conditions you probably get away with a little bit of overuse that you wouldn’t get away with at the MCG in wet, dewy conditions.
“So it’s a balance we’re working on and sometimes we get it right. We’ll continue to work on it and training and keep playing that way.”
The evergreen Brent Harvey has enjoyed a consistent run in front of goals this season, kicking a goal in all but 2 of his 16 matches.
Averaging more than 22 disposals per game, if he plays next season he could crack the 350-game milestone.
“Based on his game yesterday you’d have to say yes (to Harvey playing next year). He’s been on about five or six one-year contracts in a row. He’s an outstanding character in that respect; he wants team success and to play for the right reasons so as will be the case we’ll assess that at the end of the year,” Scott said.
