Australian Football

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Key Facts

Full name
Bernard George Naylor

Known as
Bernie Naylor

Born
19 April 1923

Place of birth
Fremantle, WA (6160)

Died
26 September 1993 (aged 70)

Occupation
Bank officer

Height and weight
Height: 189 cm
Weight: 80 kg

Senior clubs
South Fremantle

State of origin
WA

Hall of fame
Western Australian Football Hall Of Fame (2004)

Bernie Naylor


ClubLeagueCareer spanGamesGoalsAvgWin %AKIAHBAMKBV
South FremantleWANFL1941, 1946-195419410345.33
Total1941, 1946-195419410345.33

Western Australian football has seen numerous talented spearheads, but few if any better than South Fremantle’s Bernie Naylor who, in a 10-season, 194-game League career booted 1,034 goals, adding a further 45 in 16 interstate matches. According to Frank Harrison and Jack Lee, however, he achieved all this despite failing to receive any indulgence from the men in white:

Naylor (was) a scrupulously fair player who suffered from the umpires’ delusion that full forwards were there to be buffeted and knocked down and around, and therefore were not entitled to free kicks. In one of his prolific ten seasons he kicked his 100th goal of the year with his first free kick.¹

Club champion in 1953, Naylor bagged eight goals in that season’s winning Grand Final against West Perth, adding another seven the following year when arch rivals Old Easts were the victims.

Naylor was not a spectacular high mark in the style of his talented successor, John Gerovich. He was sure enough, but most of his marks were taken safely on his chest..... His long, spiral punts were a joy for ..... supporters to behold, and everyone who loved football admired his skill and amazing ability.²

One of the secrets of Naylor’s success was his almost obsessive dedication to training. On training nights, long after his team mates had left, he could be found at Fremantle Oval practising his trademark torpedo punt kicks for goal, from a variety of angles, but always from a distance of about 40 metres, with the ball invariably held with the lace to the side “for extra stability in flight”.

Naylor's extraordinary feats received the ultimate recognition in 2018 when he was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame.

Author - John Devaney, with updates by Andrew Gigacz

Footnotes

1. The South Fremantle Story 1900-1975 Volume 2 by Frank Harrison and Jack Lee, page 115.
2. Ibid, pages 115 and 119.

Sources

Full Points Footy's WA Football Companion

Footnotes

* Behinds calculated from the 1965 season on.
+ Score at the end of extra time.