Heath Scotland Biography

After being delisted by Carlton, Kane Lucas says he will seek the advice of former teammate and close mate Heath Scotland in a bid to resurrect his AFL career.

"He was much the same as me early in his career," Lucas said, citing Scotland's departure from Collingwood.

"I still talk to him quite regularly, I plan on catching up with him.

"(We'll talk about) how to take on the next few weeks. You get a bit nervous and anxious, so (I'll ask) how to deal with that, and how I can advertise myself as a player."

Heath Scotland has been forced to retire after 268 games due to a degenerative ankle injury.

"I've given it every opportunity to get up and I was hoping I could get one more year out of it but it's just becoming too much physically, emotionally and mentally to get myself up to play," Scotland said.

"I owe it to the coaches, players and supporters that when you're going out there, you're giving it 100 per cent effort.

"Right now, my week consists of trying to get up to perform on the weekend.

"I struggle to go up and down the stairs at home during the week, I struggle to train, to get up to get to a level to get some fitness.

"I can't go out there and compete to the standard required, to what these boys deserve."

Heath Scotland and Jaryd Cachia are free to play senior football for Carlton in round one after being promoted to the senior list as nominated rookies.

Carlton delist Heath Scotland but are expected to redraft the veteran midfielder as a rookie.

"It's for the good of the club," Scotland said.

"The club had offered me a gig as a development coach if I didn't play on, so I really thought through that, but it came down to the fact that you're a long time retired.

"I still feel I've got some footy left in me and I want to give it another crack."

Carlton coach Mick Malthouse dismisses suggestions he had a falling out with Heath Scotland when he was coach at Collingwood.

"Contrary to popular belief, I didn't get rid of Heath. Heath wanted to go because he wanted to play in the midfield and I didn't think he was going to be replacing the midfield we had. So I gave him an opportunity, like I've given many young blokes, to change clubs because I've changed clubs," Malthouse said.

"We've always stayed in contact because he had a very good friendship with several Collingwood players. We always had respect for one another and that singularly is one of the most important things in life."

Heath Scotland is convicted of assault after a successful appeal by the New South Wales Director of Public Prosecutions.



Scotland's original two-year good behavior bond without conviction has been retracted, and the Carlton midfielder is now placed on a 12-month bond with conviction.



"Heath accepts the decision that was made in court today," Carlton football operations manager Andrew McKay said.

"The club has already imposed its own sanctions which will not change and we all look forward to putting this matter behind us."

Heath Scotland is suspended for the opening two matches of 2013 for his part in a pub brawl in Mulwala in southern NSW last January.

Scotland will also be required by the club to make a $3,000 donation to the Les Twentyman's 20th Man organisation which provides educational, sporting and counselling services to the homeless and disadvantaged.

"The club is very disappointed in Heath's actions as they did not uphold Carlton's core values and behaviours,'' the Blues' general manager of football Andrew McKay said.

"Heath understands this is a serious matter and accepts the club's reasoning for the two-game suspension and donation.''

Carlton defender Heath Scotland will return to court next year as NSW authorities appeal the leniency of his assault penalty.

AFL chief Andrew Demetriou says the league has a right to intervene if they believe Carlton's penalty imposed on Heath Scotland for an assault charge is too lenient.

"Brett Clothier and (AFL football operations manager) Adrian Anderson always reserve the right to come in and deal with players, sometimes with the clubs and sometimes they do it without the clubs," Demetriou said.

"When things like this happen which are violent ... of course it's serious.

"At least by his guilty plea, he knows he did wrong, and that's one thing he's got going for him, but I don't think for a minute he would be under any illusions that it's not tolerable and the AFL would have a very dim view of it."

Carlton defender Heath Scotland has escaped conviction and been given a two-year good behaviour bond after pleading guilty to an assault charge.

Heath Scotland wins his first John Nicholls Medal as Carlton's best and fairest with 362 votes ahead of Eddie Betts with 353 votes and skipper Chris Judd with 334.

Heath Scotland signs a new one-year deal with Carlton to play for a 15th season in 2013.

"Even in his thirties, Heath is one of the hardest working and most consistent players on Carlton's list," Blues football manager Andrew McKay said.

"His on-field performance and leadership throughout the past two seasons has been significant and we would expect him to be one of the leading contenders for this year's best-and-fairest."

Heath Scotland says Carlton players feel responsible for Brett Ratten losing his job as coach after the shock loss to the Suns.

"It's disappointing for everybody. I believe we're a good side that had a chance to be playing finals, but we've thrown away [that] opportunity and a man's lost his job because of it," Scotland said.

"We haven't sat down and had a formal chat about it, but you speak amongst each other and everyone's feeling like crap. It's a horrible situation."

Heath Scotland wants to play on next year, but will wait until the end of the season to decide his future.

"I do want to go on, but it's in the club's hands," Scotland said.

"They know I'd like to go on, but I'll leave it with them. If they think I'm a required player for next year that would be fantastic, but if not then that's life I suppose.

"I can only control what I can control and that's training, staying on the park and trying to play well. I'll just keep plugging away. Hopefully, in the short-term, we can play finals then hopefully at the end of the year I'll be able to go around again."

Heath Scotland is charged over his alleged involvement in a brawl in January and has been ordered to appear in the Corowa Local Court on June 20.

Heath Scotland remains the subject of a New South Wales police investigation after a bar-room brawl near Yarrawonga.

"I'm not talking about me, I'm here to talk about the footy club so I'm not going to sort of go into that," Scotland said when asked about the matter.

Carlton's Andrew Carrazzo says veteran Heath Scotland has the support of the club after he was involved in a brawl.

"[Heath] is doing well and I would expect nothing else," Carrazzo said.

"He's [just] been himself for the last couple of days and we're going to back him in. We fully support Heath. The club released a statement yesterday outlining what was happening from here on in."

Carlton midfielder Heath Scotland is being investigated over his role in a bar brawl.

"He was very apologetic this morning," Carlton's general manager of communications Ian Coutts told the Herald Sun.

"His brother was being attacked and he went to his aid. Heath has rung us and told us what happened. If any of our players lied to us we would be very disappointed."

Former Richmond coach Terry Wallace accuses several Carlton players of being downhill skiers after they were comprehensively beaten by Adelaide.

"Carlton have got some midfielders who've got to learn how to defend, they only want to play one direction and I'm quite happy to name them. I think (Marc) Murphy, (Heath) Scotland, (Nick) Stevens, (Chris) Judd - those four guys just don't defend," Wallace said on SEN.

Carlton coach Brett Ratten did not agree with Wallace's assessment of his playing group.

"I heard a little bit of it. That's up to Terry. That's his opinion and he can have it," a Ratten said.

"Terry may have made an observation that was part of last week's game, but I don't think you can put that down to a season's performance.

"It's very unfair to our group."

Carlton coach Brett Ratten still remains undecided on when to recall experienced midfielders Nick Stevens and Heath Scotland since the pair were dropped after a round 13 loss to Essendon.

Carlton assistant coach Brett Montgomery says Nick Stevens and Heath Scotland are in the Blues mix for next week after the pair were overlooked for selection against Richmond despite performing well in the VFL.

"There's no room for them this week, but that's not to say, even with their week off from Bullants' duties, that that will be the case next week," Montgomery said.

"It might be our role to perhaps talk them through ways of getting back in, building them up and giving them options and alternatives to improve their game. I think both guys have taken it extremely well."

Carlton coach Brett Ratten says Nick Stevens and Heath Scotland still have to earn back their places despite strong performances in the VFL after being dropped from the side to face Fremantle.

"They are in the mix. They're quality players but we just went with a different team structure. We'll have to see how we go at the selection table," Ratten said.

Carlton will almost certainly include Heath Scotland and Andrew Walker in its Round 1 side to face Richmond after both cruised through a VFL intraclub match yesterday.

Carlton midfielder Heath Scotland is confident he will be fit to play Richmond in the opening game.