Matthew Knights today announced that veteran, Scott Lucas, will not play this Friday night against Hawthorn.
Knights said that after a slow start to the season, Lucas has been given the option to take a week off or to play in the VFL to help find some form and break out of his current cycle.
“We had our match committee meeting this morning and we have made the decision that Scott will not be in the 22 this week,” he said.
“Whether he has this weekend off both physically and mentally and then comes back in the VFL the following week or if he plays VFL this week, we haven’t decided yet.
“We want him to go away, regain some form and then he can come back and make a big impact on the team, particularly in the second half of the year.
“We felt it was the right thing to do as a match committee, I spoke to Scott this morning, he is very measured and pretty calm about it, and he is a very experienced man and knows what he has to do.
“Hope fully sooner rather than later, he gets that form and comes back into the side as we really need him not having Hille, McVeigh, Welsh and Fletcher.”
Knights said that whilst Lucas is disappointed with the decision, he has been in football along time and has acknowledged that his form isn’t where he would like it to be.
“He is disappointed as I’m sure anyone would be, but I’m confident he will come back, sooner rather than later and play some really good football,” he said.
“I’ve given the decision to Scott this morning, whether he plays in the VFL or not, he is going to have a think about whether he needs a few days off for a complete physical and mental rest and then come back in the VFL.
“We just feel in supporting Scott it is the best way to go. To go and find some form, come back into the side with form so we can see the true Scott Lucas. It was a tough decision and something we really thought about.”
