Scrimshaw at full stretch against Bulldog Aaron Naughton in last Friday night’s elimination final.Credit: AFL Photos
“It was more public than I’ve ever experienced, really. It was obviously tough back at the time, but I think that I’ve got that relationship with Sam, where he’s given me plenty of those sprays in the past but more behind closed doors especially last year when I was in and out of the side,” Scrimshaw recalled.
“It was a little bit embarrassing, and people made judgments around what it could have been about and they were guessing that it was maybe a contest where I didn’t go hard enough for the ball or things like that, which would have been more embarrassing if that was true – which it wasn’t. But that’d be more embarrassing if that was the case because I pride myself in that space. So it was just people making their judgments, but you can’t do anything about that.”
While Scrimshaw is an excellent kick, there’s a time and place to take risks with kicking, and biting off an ambitious kick late in the quarter after the team had conceded a few goals was not the time or place. He turned the ball over.
“He [Mitchell] called me after the game and set it straight. There was not much thought after that. I feel like I’ve become a better player since Mitch has been coach.”
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Indeed he has. Scrimshaw spent the year determined to be better not just at one thing but to be better at many things. The biggest change was mindset: he wanted to be a better teammate. He has. And the extension is that by becoming a better teammate, he’s become a better player.
Scrimshaw has played taller this year than previously. Here’s the odd thing. Sicily is an outstanding intercept mark and plays as the Hawks’ primary key back, but he is only 188 centimetres tall. Scrimshaw is 194cm.
Last week, the Western Bulldogs had what on paper presented as a clear elimination final advantage: Aaron Naughton, Jamarra Ugle-Hagan and Sam Darcy in the one forward line. But Scrimshaw was critical in the way the Hawks shut down the Dogs’ strength. Working in tandem with the (now injured) Sam Frost, they provided the tight defensive cover in the air that freed Sicily up to intercept mark.
“I’ve always tried to base my game around my aerial presence as well as beating my opponents on the ground, I feel like playing this role this year I’ve had to play a bit taller and I’ve had to improve in that area. Then obviously, my other strength is on ground level. So if I was able to beat my opponent in the air, they’re obviously bigger than me, so to beat them in the air and then to know that I can beat them on the ground as well is where I’ve tried to base my game around,” he said.
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“I’ve been working really well with ‘Sis’ this year. In the past, he’s been sort of playing my role, so it’s been good to be able to free him up a little bit more. Obviously, he’s a great player, and we want to make sure that he’s maximising his strengths out in the field, and that’s what he’s been able to do.”
Sicily is clear on how important his teammate’s season has been.
“He probably doesn’t get the respect he deserves,” he told Fox Footy after the elimination final win.
“That’s what is so good about our undersized defenders. They might not be as tall but, bloody hell, they can use the footy when they get it. He’s been so reliable and we were able to get the job done tonight.
“He’s become so much more mature. Not just this year but it’s more front and centre how mature he’s become but he’s worked very hard at it and he just wants to be a reliable and trusted teammate. And he is that right now.”
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