Ray Scott (Australian rules football)

Raymond Cyril “Ray” Scott (17 April 1927 – 5 January 2003) was a leading Australian rules football player and field umpire in the West Australian National Football League (WANFL).

WANFL playing career

Ray Scott began playing with the West Perth Football Club (the “Cardinals”) in 1944 during the WANFL’s under-age competition, where he played as a ruckman or centre half-back but was nonetheless viewed as extremely promising.^[1] Scott then spent two years in the Royal Australian Navy and rejoined the club for the 1947 season, during which he was shifted to full-forward in place of future champion defender Ray Schofield.^[2] He played 190 games between 1944 and 1959.^[3]

Scott was a highly successful forward, kicking 901 goals during his WANFL career. In the 1953 season he kicked 143 goals (including a career high of 15 in one game). Although this was a phenomenal tally, he did not take of the League's goalkicking award as it was the year South Fremantle's goal kicking legend Bernie Naylor posted his record 152 goals, including 23 in one game.^{[3][4][5][6][7]}

Scott was the WANFL leading goal kicker in 1951 and 1955 and he topped West Perth's goal kicking from 1948 to 1955.^[8][9] He kicked one hundred goals or more in a season four times.^[3]

Scott represented Western Australia in 1948, 1949 and 1951 in matches against other States. He also played in West Perth premiership sides in 1949 and 1951.^[3] On 27 September 1954, Scott nearly lost his life when he fell from the ninth floor of the Royal Perth Hospital, being saved only by falling onto a construction lift.^[10][11]

Retiring from West Perth after the 1955 season, Scott played and coached in the Riverina Football League for three years before returning to Western Australia to play two more games with the Cardinals before taking up umpiring.^[3]

Umpiring career

Scott made a rapid (by the standards then applying) rise through the ranks of umpiring. He umpired his first League game in 1961 and his first Grand Final in 1963. His first interstate match was the 1964 South Australia versus Victoria game in Adelaide.^[3]

His status as a leading umpire was reinforced with WANFL Grand Final appointments in 1967 and 1968.^[3]

In June 1968 Scott umpired the Victoria versus South Australia clash at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. His performance impressed the Victorian officials as they made a special request of the Australian National Football Council for Scott to control the Western Australia versus Victoria match that was played in Subiaco in July.^[12] This was indeed remarkable as interstate matches were in those days always controlled by an umpire from a “neutral” State.^[3]

Scott retired from on-field umpiring at the end of the 1970 season after 141 matches and three Grand Finals.^[3][13][14]

In 1972 Scott became an umpires’ coach and assistant to the WANFL Umpires Advisor. In 1977 he took on the role of WANFL Umpires Advisor. He remained as coach until 1979, and thereafter he continued with membership of the Umpires Appointment Board, chairing the board in 1981 and 1982.^[3][13]

Awards

Scott's contributions to the WANFL totalled an impressive 38 years of service as an umpire, player and administrator.^[13] Combined with his playing totals, he participated in 331 WANFL matches, including six Grand Finals.^[3]

This outstanding contribution to the WANFL, and the sport in general, was recognised in 1975 with the National Football League Award of Merit. The then national body gave only one award per year and the award was given for 'outstanding service to the game'.^[3]

In 1995 Scott was awarded Life Membership of the West Australian Football League.^[3]

He was inducted in the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 1996 in recognition of his services to umpiring.^[13]

In 2000 he was included in West Perth’s Team of the Century.^[4]

References

See also

• Ross, John (1999). The Australian Football Hall of Fame. Australia: HarperCollinsPublishers. p. 140. ISBN 0-7322-6426-X.