Now the 36-year-old mates are preparing to take on each other as rival coaches in the Ballarat Football League for the first time.

Scotland will lead Darley into battle against Fevola’s Melton South at Darley on Saturday.

This is not the first time the good mates have been on opposing sides.

They were rivals in the TAC Cup – Scotland playing with Western Jets and Fevola with Dandenong Stingrays – before joining AFL ranks in 1999, with Scotland going to Collingwood and Fevola to Carlton.

Then at the other end of the AFL careers they faced off once when Scotland was at Carlton and Fevola at Brisbane Lions.

This is different though with each in charge of what are potentially premiership contenders in their first seasons in the BFL.

Scotland cannot wait, hoping to get bragging rights over Fevola in an encounter which is sure to provoke plenty of  banter between the duo.

He said he and Fevola had been great mates throughout their whole football careers, with the friendship forged when they played alongside each other with Vic Metro under-18s.

Scotland said Fevola had also been the reason Scotland had been persuaded to make the move from Collingwood to the Blues in 2004.

As much as Scotland is looking forward to encounter, he has no plans to spend any time matching up on the Panthers’ spearhead.

Scotland will continue to stay focused on a midfield role – most likely leaving the task of shutting down Fevola to Jay Pearson.

As well as the unbeaten Darley is going, he is well aware of the potential threat Melton South poses and the determination the Panthers will have given they are coming off a loss to reigning premier Bacchus Marsh and a desire not want to drop another game.

Scotland said while he respected what Melton South had to offer, he was confident that driven by a deeper midfield and still with plenty of improvement in them the Devils would deliver what was required to land the points.