Australian Football

No finer full forward has lined up in the red and blue of West Perth than Ray Scott, who topped the Cardinals’ goal-kicking list on eight consecutive occasions from 1948. A strong marking player of remarkable consistency and reliability, had his career not coincided to a considerable extent with that of South Fremantle’s legendary sharp shooter Bernie Naylor, his reputation would almost certainly have been even weightier.

Ray Scott booted a total of 910 goals for West Perth during a 197-game league career that saw him defy the challenge of Naylor to top the WAFL goal-kicking list in 1951 with 141 goals. Four years later, after Naylor had departed the scene, he did so again with 83 goals. His best single season though was 1953 when he managed 143 goals, 24 shy of Naylor’s all-time record tally of 167. Scott ‘topped the ton’ on four occasions, and invariably kicked at least twice as many goals as behinds. In one game against Perth in 1953 he booted a club record 15 goals.

After his retirement as a player, Ray Scott coached briefly in Wagga Wagga before embarking on an illustrious 141-game umpiring career which included three WANFL Grand Finals.

When the Falcons announced their official ‘Team of the Century’ in October 2000, Ray Scott was, one presumes, an almost automatic inclusion.

Author - John Devaney