Scott Cummings (footballer)

Scott Cummings
File:Noimage
Personal information
Original team(s)	Swan Districts, (WAFL)
Debut	Round 14, 26 June 1994, Essendon vs. Sydney, at Melbourne Cricket Ground
Playing career1
Essendon (1994-96) 40 games, 83 goals Port Adelaide (1997-98) 37 games, 102 goals West Coast Eagles (1999-2001) 46 games, 158 goals Collingwood (2002) 5 games, 6 goals
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2006.
Career highlights
Coleman Medal 1999 Essendon leading goalkicker 1994 Port Adelaide leading goalkicker 1997 West Coast Eagles leading goalkicker 1999 AFL Rising Star nominee 1994 Graham Moss Medal 1999
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Scott Cummings (born 18 January 1974) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Essendon, Port Adelaide, the West Coast Eagles and Collingwood in the Australian Football League.

Cummings played primarily as a full forward and won the Coleman Medal in 1999 for being the leading goalscorer for the season. Although he was well renowned for his goal kicking abilities, Cummings occasionally played centre half back while playing in the reserve team at Essendon.

Playing career

Cummings was selected at pick #20 in the 1992 AFL Draft from the Swan Districts in the West Australian Football League as a strong full forward. Essendon originally received this pick after trading Richard Ambrose for it.

Essendon

Cummings made his AFL debut in 1994 against Sydney, kicking eight goals and earning himself an AFL Rising Star nomination. Cummings went on to kick 32 goals in his 10 matches for the year and was the leading goalkicker for Essendon. Despite a strong start to his career, Cummings' performance throughout 1995 and 1996 was inconsistent, in part as a result of being played out of position. As a full-forward, he was still capable of strong performances, such as his game against Footscray in Round 8, 1996 where he kicked eight goals. Cummings final game for Essendon was the 1996 Preliminary Final loss to Sydney.

At the end of the 1996 season, Essendon traded Cummings to the newly formed Port Adelaide in return for their #2 (Chris Heffernan) and #28 (Jason Johnson) draft selections. In all, Cummings played 40 games for Essendon, kicking 83 goals.

Port Adelaide

Cummings kicked 70 goals in his first season for Port Adelaide and finished third in the Coleman Medal behind Tony Modra (84) and Saverio Rocca (76). His season included three games in which he kicked five goals. In Round 17 against Essendon he kicked seven goals. Poor form and suspension saw him play only 16 games in 1998 for a return of 32 goals. At the end of the year, he was traded to West Coast in return for Jarrad Schofield.

West Coast Eagles

Working on his strength and fitness, Cummings first season for West Coast proved to be his career best. He kicked 95 goals for the 1999 season and won the Coleman Medal for leading goalkicker. This included four hauls of seven goals. In 2000, Cummings started where he left off, kicking five goals in Round 1 before kicking 14 goals against Adelaide in Round 5. A fortnight later, Cummings kicked 10 goals in the 'Western Derby' against Fremantle and by Round 8, he was on top of the goalkickers list with 39 goals. However, quadriceps and groin injuries curtailed his season and he played only a single game in the second half of the season. His form tapered dramatically in 2001, kicking only 16 goals from nine games. At the end of the season Cummings was delisted by West Coast.

Collingwood

Late in 2001 Cummings' former coach Mick Malthouse, now at Collingwood, selected him in the 2002 Pre-Season draft. Despite a promising start to the season, kicking 5 goals in Round 1, Cummings again struggled with injuries. He played only five games for Collingwood, before retiring at the age of 28.

In total, Cummings played 128 games and kicked 349 goals.

After retirement

Since retiring, Cummings has played football in the EJ Whitten Legends Match every year since 2003. Cummings has developed a career in the media, presenting on SEN 1116's Ralphy, Serge and the Big Man in 2004 and 2005. In 2006 Cummings worked as a boundary rider for Fox Footy Channel. Cummings continues to be involved with the Collingwood Football Club, occasionally working as a master of ceremonies for club events. He has also worked with 3AW.

External links

• Scott Cummings's playing statistics from AFL Tables