One of South Fremantle's favourite football sons, Gary Scott played two hundred and fifty five games for the Bulldogs in a remarkable career spanning thirteen seasons.

Scott was almost the dream player.

He could play with equal effectiveness in any position on the ground, and indeed did, during his time at South Fremantle, and in his eleven games for Western Australia was also used in a variety of roles.

Scott set an Australian record of two hundred and five consecutive games in the sixties, breaking the previous mark of 204 set by Richmond's Jack Titus. Melbourne's Jim Stynes more recently played 244 games without a break, but Scott is a little unlucky not to still have that honour.

“In 1959 my ankle was a bit sore at one stage but I reckoned I was right to play but the club doctor put me out for three weeks,” Gary said. “Otherwise it would have been a lot more.”

He won one Walker Medal as fairest and best for South Fremantle, in 1964, but was runner up on four occasions, three of them by one vote.

His two hundred and fifty five games record has since been passed by Tom Grljusich and Marty Atkins.

But football can be a cruel game. The year before Scott played his first league game, South Fremantle were premiers. The year after he retired, they won their next one, with the years in between some of the worst in the club's history. “I weighed the club down,”joked Gary, “as soon as I left they came good.”

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Gary Scott was the heart and soul of South Fremantle throughout his career, epitomising the word “clubman.” A strong overhead mark who could play in any key position, he had the pace to match the rovers, and was an exemplary kick. Captain for three years, it was one of the vagaries of the game that saw his efforts go without the reward of a premiership flag.

Playing his junior football at Guildford Grammar School, Scott was always going to wear the red and white. “My father was as one eyed a South supporter as you could possibly get, and I wouldn't have been game to go anywhere else,” he said. And it wasn't long before he made his Dad a happy man. As an eighteen year old, in 1957, Gary was selected in the South Fremantle side for the first game of the season, against Claremont.

“It was a bit funny, though,”he recalled.“I had played on the ball all through the practice games, but was named at centre half forward for the big one. I lined up on Bill Pense, and got about ten kicks in the first quarter. I thought: “how easy is this?”, but then State defender Don Idle sidled up to me and I never got another touch.”

Coach Clive Lewington nursed the youngster in his first season, playing him in the league side just six times, but from the first game of 1958 Scott burst onto the football scene and became one of the stars of the decade in Western Australia. “Lewington was a brilliant coach and a tremendous bloke”, Gary remarked.

In his second full year of league football, Scott was selected in the Western Australian second side for the game with Hawthorn, followed by his debut appearance for the State, against Victoria in 1960. It was the beginning of a fine State career for Scott, who always performed well in the yellow and gold. A highlight was the Hobart carnival of 1966.

“We were playing Tasmania at North Hobart,” he reminisced. “Bob Page was playing on one of their better players in McMahon, and after half time coach Kevin Murray decided to switch Page with Malcolm Brown. Page warned Mal: “he'll niggle ya.” Pretty soon there was a loud “whack,” as Brownie collected the Tasmanian, to which McMahon responded with a roundarm. The ump turned around at the sound and caught the retaliation. The hapless McMahon copped a suspension to go with his aching head, and the local crowd erupted.”

“In the following game we played the Vics, and the locals, who have never been fans of the big V, turned against us, and we copped a barrage.”

“On returning to Perth, Mal was interviewed by Channel Seven reporters, who asked him about the incident. “Never touched the bloke,” was the emphatic response.

Gary Scott retired from football in 1969. “There was no great incentive for a thirty year old bloke with a young family to keep going,” he explained. “There was no money in it, and there comes a time when you have to think of the years ahead.” Scott had shouldered the load for over a decade, with finals a rarity and grand finals out of reach, so he could hardly be blamed for his decision. That the Bulldogs made an amazing turnaround the following year could in a way be attributed to the retirement of their iron man. His departure sent the club on a recruiting drive, and it came up trumps in 1970.

In the sixties, South Fremantle players were paid according to the wins they had, and there were some lean years. “Brother Graham earned more in 1970 than I did in thirteen years,” Gary joked.

Graham Scott played a hundred and seventeen games for the Bulldogs as a forward, kicking three hundred and two goals, and represented Western Australia five times. After kicking four goals in the 1970 grand final, and booting ninety seven in 1971, he went to St Kilda for two years and spent a season at Melbourne.

Gary Scott was quickly recruited by the ABC after his retirement, and worked on both television and radio for five years, his clear and authoritive voice together with his knowledge of the game and the respect he had among the football fraternity making him a credible critic.

Does Gary Scott regret the fact that he played in the wrong era, considering the money being made in the game today? “On the contrary, mate, I feel honoured to have played with and against the quality of players there were in my era. The game has changed, sure, there's a hell of a lot of money around now, but the blokes of the sixties were a lot tougher and no less skilful.”

A humble man, he attributes his many games at both club and State level to his ability to play in any position, which, especially at the higher level, was in his favour, but we believe it could also have hindered him. Playing in a struggling side, the constant switching of roles instead of settling into a permanent position must surely have come at the cost of higher personal achievements. One can draw a comparison in this regard to Subiaco champ Laurie Kettlewell, who was also a Mister Fixit in a lower side.

Unable to separate the many opponents he came up against: “they were all bloody good,” Scott showed he has lost none of his fervour for the red and white by naming John Todd as the best player of before and during his era, but regards Stephen Michael as the best he'd seen.

He didn't miss many games of football during his career, but Gary reckons that the Gods who looked after him then have gone AWOL since. With three hip replacements, two bad shoulders, and a crook back, a fitness test would be out of the question these days.

With wife Jan, Scotty is enjoying the life at Rockingham, taking the odd trip to Bali, fishing, walking, and gardening.

A former member of West Coast, Gary gave it away when they took away the standing room at Subiaco Oval and filled it with “tiny uncomfortable chairs plonked on narrow aisles.”

Gary Scott holds a special place at Fremantle Oval, not only as a star of the sixties, but a man who set the standard for consistency, excellence, and leadership at a time the club was in need of it. He is certainly held in high esteem as one of South Fremantle's longest serving and best players.