HOLMES ADMITS GRUDGE WITH SCOTT OVER 2022 GRAND FINAL SNUB: ‘I CRIED A LOT’
23-year-old star says rift is healed as he targets premiership redemption against Brisbane
Geelong star Max Holmes has opened up about holding a personal grudge against coach Chris Scott after being left out of the 2022 AFL Grand Final team – revealing he “cried a lot” over the snub but is now ready to “put it in the past” ahead of Saturday’s decider against Brisbane.
The then 20-year-old missed the Cats’ premiership win with a minor hamstring strain sustained in the preliminary final – a selection call that dominated pre-game build-up and cost him a flag in just his second season. Holmes admits he was “pissed with Scotty” at the time, having had little relationship with the coach before the decision.
“With the same injury this week I’d play,” Holmes said ahead of this year’s grand final. “I was a younger player who wasn’t as influential in the team, and it was very close – just a matter of where I was at then. Now I can understand why he did what he did and I respect that decision.”
The rift was repaired through a series of coffee meetings in the 2023 pre-season, where the pair connected over “everything and nothing” to build a strong bond. “Now I feel like we’re quite close together,” Holmes said. “It’s all in the past, and there’s no judgement on it. Hopefully we can get one this week and put it all behind us.”
Holmes has drawn on his own heartbreak to support teammate Tom Stewart, who is ruled out of Saturday’s clash under concussion protocols. “I said I cried a lot – I don’t think I handled it as well as I could have,” he said of his 2022 experience. “I’m shattered for him, but he’ll be all right in the end.”
The star has also renewed calls for a pre-grand final bye – a change increasingly likely for next season – insisting extra time would have cleared him to play in 2022 and could have saved Stewart’s spot this year. Despite Stewart’s absence, Holmes is confident Zach Guthrie can step up, with the Cats aiming to repeat their qualifying-final win over the Lions.
