Geelong premiership coach Chris Scott believes his St Kilda counterpart's coaching style is symbolic of the path the Saints have pursued since Alan Richardson stepped foot inside Linen House Centre.
St Kilda has built from the bottom across Richardson’s first three years at the club, rising from four wins in 2014 up to six the following year and to 12 last year, to plot along a north-east trajectory bit by bit.
Sitting opposite Richardson on the desk on AFL 360, Scott explained how he had been provided with an insight into Richardson’s philosophy through his brother’s (North Melbourne coach Brad Scott) time working alongside Richardson at Collingwood.
“I have a little bit of an insight into ‘Richo’ through my twin brother who started his coaching journey as a development coach under ‘Richo’ at Collingwood,” Scott said on Fox Footy on Monday night.
“They’ve got a great relationship and Brad’s got a very healthy respect for ‘Richo’ as a teaching coach.
Richardson: We're poised for next stage of the journey
“‘Richo’s’ skills being around development and there being a really nice parallel between ‘Richo’s’ skillset and his background and where St Kilda was at.
“They have come through on a journey and I’m sure ‘Richo’ represents the club and what they’re about really well; there’s a nice synergy between his style and what the club represents.”
Days out from a new campaign, Scott labelled St Kilda as a ‘contender’ this season, after a steady rebuild over the last handful of years.
“As an opposition coach I don’t think of them as a developing team anymore,” he said.
“They’ve played very well against us in the last couple of years; I think they’re absolutely a contender.”
