[5][6] His performance in that final round match, to that stage a career-best with twenty-eight disposals, arguably saved his Collingwood career, with senior coach Mick Malthouse stating that he had matured considerably as a footballer over that season.

[3][4] Scotland became a regular for the Magpies in 2002, playing 19 matches through the season, including fourteen consecutively after Round 12.

He improved again in 2007, collecting a career-high 41 disposals in a match in Round 22 against Melbourne, finishing a close second for the Robert Reynolds Trophy, and polling a club-high 12 Brownlow Medal votes.

In 2011, Scotland played his 200th game and became the oldest player on the Carlton list, turning 31 during the year; in spite of this, 2011 was widely regarded by pundits as Scotland's best season to date;[7] he was nominated in the 40-man squad for the All-Australian team, but did not make the final team, and he finished 4th in the John Nicholls Medal.

[15] Scotland played consistently well again in 2012, and although he attracted less wider acclaim around the league, he won the John Nicholls Medal for the first time in his career.

[17] He played four games off the rookie list, before announcing his retirement from the AFL on 20 May 2014, citing a degenerative ankle complaint.

[8][23] In September 2019, five years after his retirement his playing career, he gave an interview on SEN radio station and reflected on his time at Carlton stating "To be honest, I think it was a poor decision to sack Brett Ratten as senior coach" [24] and "I was always disappointed that happened to Ratts" and "I thought Ratts was doing a great job, I think we might've won 11 games in 2012, we just missed finals, we had a lot of injuries" and "I think Carlton acted on the opportunity to get Mick Malthouse too quickly as senior coach".

[6] During January 2012, Scotland was involved in a brawl at the Mulwala Ski Club near Yarrawonga, which left one man unconscious.

[25] At the court hearing in October 2012, he pleaded guilty to assault, and was placed on a two-year good behaviour bond with a conviction.