Australian Football

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Key Facts

Full name
Arthur William Rayson

Known as
Arthur Rayson

Born
1 December 1901

Place of birth
Dunolly, NSW (2330)

Died
21 January 1970 (aged 68)

Place of death
Geelong West, VIC (3218)

Age at first & last AFL game
First game: 22y 273d
Last game: 29y 306d

Height and weight
Height: 170 cm
Weight: 71 kg

Senior clubs
Geelong

Jumper numbers
Geelong: 28

State of origin
NSW

Family links
Alan Rayson (Son)Noel Rayson (Son)

Arthur Rayson

ClubLeagueCareer spanGamesGoalsAvgWin %AKIAHBAMKBV
GeelongV/AFL1924-19311011281.2770%14.175.000
Total1924-19311011281.2770%14.175.000

Pre 1965 stats are for selected matches only

AFL: 2,931st player to appear, 2,403rd most games played, 809th most goals kickedGeelong: 314th player to appear, 170th most games played, 63rd most goals kicked

Recruited from Cobden, Arthur Rayson played a pivotal part in Geelong winning its first premiership of any kind as one of the Pivotonians' best players in their VFL Second Eighteen Grand Final victory over Richmond in 1923. The following year, 25-year-old Rayson made his senior debut, playing in Geelong's final two home-and-away matches, kicking three goals and being listed in his team's best players in those matches to immediately establish himself as a canny small forward for the Cats.

In 1925 Geelong suffered a shock opening-round loss at home to league newcomers North Melbourne before losing just once more in the home and away rounds. Rayson confirmed his status as a rising star of the VFL with a six-goal performance in a Round 5 thrashing of Carlton, just his seventh league appearance, and it was no coincidence that he was absent when the Cats suffered the other defeat, in Round 14 against St Kilda.

Rayson's rapid rise did not go unnoticed, The Herald reporting in June that "no player in the Geelong team has risen to prominence so quickly as Arthur Rayson, a young clever forward who last season played in the second eighteen ranks and this season has been doing remarkably well on the forward line. He is a nice left foot kick and a clean mark."¹ The Cats finished two games clear at the head of the ladder but were outclassed by Melbourne in a shock Semi-Final result. Under the old 'challenge' system.

Geelong earned the right to a Grand Final playoff against Collingwood, who had defeated Melbourne in the Preliminary Final. The Cats rediscovered their best form in the premiership decider, beating the Magpies by 10 points. Rayson did not kick a goal, but The Argus listed him as one of his side's best half dozen players.

The Cats fell at the Semi-Final hurdle in both 1926 and 1927, but Rayson continued to be conspicuous in the forward line, averaging more than a goal a game in both seasons. In a sensational incident in Round 13, Rayson suffered broken ribs² in a collision with St Kilda's Stan Hepburn at Corio Oval.³ The incident occurred late in the match and incensed Geelong fans stormed the ground to remonstrate with Hepburn and his teammate Jack Shelton, and to check on Rayson's condition. Rayson missed a month of football as a result of the injuries sustained but returned to play in the final home-and-away game and the Semi-Final, in which he was named in the best players on a losing side.⁴

Geelong tumbled down the ladder in 1928 but Rayson's fine form continued, and he was selected on a half-forward flank for Victoria's match against South Australia in Adelaide in June.⁵ A torn foot muscle resulted in Rayson playing just five games in 1929 and hip and thigh injuries saw him miss nearly three months of the following season. Rayson returned to full fitness and the team to play the last five home and away games of 1930 and was listed among the Cats' best as they surprised Collingwood to win the 1930 Final. The following week Rayson kicked a goal but the Magpies turned the tables on Geelong to secure their fourth consecutive premiership.

A fairy tale finish to Arthur Rayson's VFL career was scuppered when he suffered a thigh injury in the Cats' Preliminary Final win over Carlton in 1931. The injury was reported as only minor⁶ but a risk-averse selection committee left him out of the team that defeated Richmond in the 1931 Grand Final.⁷ Rayson played in the practice matches for Geelong in the 1932 pre-season, but upon receiving a hip injury decided to call time on his career, which spanned 101 games over eight seasons.

Author - John Devaney

Footnotes

1. The Herald (Melbourne), Friday 5 June 1925, page 13. Link: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/2440384...

2. Geelong Advertiser (Vic), Monday 9 August 1926, page 1. Link: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/2322723...

3. The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA), Friday 13 August 1926, page 24. Link: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/4700932...

4. Labor Call (Melbourne, Vic), Thursday 23 September 1926, page 3. Link: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/2501868...

5. Referee (Sydney, NSW, Wednesday 13 June 1928, page 13. Link: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/1278936...

6. The Herald (Melbourne) Wednesday 6 October 1931, page 3. Link: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/2427682...

7. The Argus (Melbourne, Vic), Friday 9 October 1931, page 10. Link: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/4433070

Sources

The Herald, The Geelong Advertiser, The Adelaide Advertiser, Labor Call, Referee, The Argus

Footnotes

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