NORTH Melbourne coach Brad Scott will miss four matches after deciding to have back surgery following weeks of intense pain.
Despite hoping medication and treatment would be able to manage his condition, the back concern has increased in recent weeks to the point he will go under the knife, which will see Scott sit out at least four games as North coach, including Sunday's clash with the Eagles in Hobart.
He is expected to be back coaching by round 15. The club hopes to have him back at Arden Street a week earlier, but he will not be able to fly to the Gold Coast for the Roos' clash with the Suns in round 14.
"The last two weeks in particular [the injury] has deteriorated to the extent where surgery is the only option. That has to be done, on the advice of surgeons, as soon as possible," Roos football manager Geoff Walsh said on Monday.
"It's obviously not great timing, and Brad was hopeful this was something he could deal with in the off-season and push through but symptoms and the pain levels have become such that he requires immediate surgery."
Senior assistant Darren Crocker, who played 165 games for the club in a 14-year career which included the 1996 premiership, will take on the position in Scott's absence.
The Kangaroos host West Coast at Blundstone Arena on Sunday before playing the Swans at Etihad and the Giants away before their bye in round 13.
After the break, North take on the Suns and the following week it locks horns with Geelong at Etihad Stadium.
Walsh conceded the club's run of interstate travel had also been a factor in Scott deciding to have the surgery now.
Following the sacking of Mick Malthouse last week, Drew Petrie talked about Crocker’s stint as North’s interim coach in 2009 on the AFL Exchange podcast.
"He brought in some really good standards and I know he wanted to create this high-performance culture. That’s probably the first time I heard that, that high-performance culture in 2009, when ‘Crock’ took over," Petrie said.
Crocker retired in 1998, and then coached Port Melbourne in the VFL for a season before joining Richmond as an assistant to Danny Frawley.
He returned to North as an assistant to Dean Laidley in 2004, becoming the club’s interim coach after Laidley resigned following the club’s 44-point loss to Adelaide in round 12, 2009.
Crocker coached the Roos for 10 matches, finishing with a record of three wins, six losses and a draw.
Brad Scott was named as North’s coach for the 2010 season with two rounds remaining in 2009, although Crocker coached out the year.
The Roos finished 2009 in 13th position.
More to come
