Scott was born in Longreach, Queensland and grew up in the small, nearby town of Ilfracombe. He played junior football for the Longreach Tigers and later the Gemfield Giants.[5][6] He moved to St. Brendan's College, Yeppoon as a boarder after being spotted by one of the school's coaches at an outback carnival. He was signed by the North Queensland Cowboys during his schoolboy days.[7]
Playing career
2004
In Round 19 of the 2004 NRL season, Scott made his NRL debut for the Cowboys, at the age of 18, against the Parramatta Eels.[7] Scott broke his leg in the opening minutes of the match, ruling him out for the rest of the season.
2005
Scott played just 3 NRL games in 2005, spending the majority of the season playing for the Cowboys' Queensland Cup side, the North Queensland Young Guns. He was a member of the Young Guns premiership-winning side that season, playing alongside future Cowboys teammates Scott Bolton and Gavin Cooper. Scott was 18th man for the Cowboys Grand Final against the Wests Tigers.
2006
In 2006, Scott played his first full season of first grade, playing 22 games and scoring 2 tries. He made his representative debut for Queensland in the 2006 State of Origin series, after just 14 NRL games. However, he was dropped from the team after the 17–16 loss to New South Wales and would not play in another Origin fixture until 2009. Speaking in 2009, Scott said that at the time, he thought his removal from the team was "harsh", but that he "obviously didn't step up and deliver".[8]
2007
In 2007, Scott played his second full season of first grade and was an integral member of the Cowboys side that reached their third ever finals series, playing 23 games and starting the majority of them in the front row.
2008
Scott in 2008
Scott's 2008 season was affected by injuries. He played the first 3 games of the season before succumbing to injuries. He would return to play the final 3 games of the year.
2009
Scott returned from an injury plagued 2008 with a strong 2009 season, which saw him return to the Queensland team and represent the Prime Minister's XIII in their end of season match against Papua New Guinea.[9][10] In August, he signed a new four-year contract with the Cowboys.[11]
2010
Scott was named the Cowboys' player of the year and players player for the 2010 season, though it was a poor season for the team, finishing 15th on the NRL ladder in front of only the Melbourne Storm, who had been stripped of their premiership points due to salary cap breaches.[12] S
He was Queensland's starting prop for all three matches of the 2010 State of Origin series and made his debut for the Australia national team in the Four Nations series.[13] He was selected as Australia's starting prop for the series final against New Zealand, edging veteran Petero Civoniceva out of the side.[14]
2011
In 2011, Scott was appointed as the co-captain of the Cowboys, sharing the position with Johnathan Thurston, who had previously held it alone.[15] He was also named the NRL's prop of the year in the Dally M Awards after missing out in 2010.[16] His performance in Game 1 of the 2011 State of Origin series won him plaudits, with Brisbane newspaper The Courier Mail calling his "impact and workrate... enormous",[17] and ABC Sport praising his "powerhouse display up front".[18] He and fellow Queensland prop Petero Civoniceva ran the ball for a total of 301 metres during the match; their New South Wales counterparts only managed 71.[19] Queensland won the match and went on to win the Origin series. The Cowboys returned to the NRL finals series, finishing in seventh place, and Scott was selected in the Australian squad to tour England for the Four Nations series.[20] He scored the first try of the tournament, in Australia's 26–12 win over New Zealand; it was his first try as an international.[21] During the tournament, the annual RLIF Awards dinner was held at the Tower of London and he was named prop forward of the year.[22]
2012
During the 2012 State of Origin series, Scott's mother died, interrupting his preparation. However he played in all three games, helping extend Queensland's record winning streak to 7 consecutive series. At the end-of-season Test match against New Zealand, in which Australia retained the Bill Kelly Memorial Trophy, Scott was named man-of-the-match.
In Round 9 of the 2014 NRL season, Scott ran for 220 metres in the Cowboys 27-14 win over the Broncos, earning him a rare perfect 10 score from Rugby League Week magazine. Despite missing his first State of Origin game for Queensland in five years through injury, Scott had a career best season in 2014. He averaged 56 minutes, 16.4 runs and 160 metres per game, all career bests, while also finishing the year with a career best 5 line breaks and 48 tackle busts.[23]
Scott required a shoulder reconstruction at the end of 2014, ruling him out of the Four Nations tournament.
2015
In 2015, Scott regained his spot in the Australia side for the annual Anzac Test and started at prop in all 3 games of Queensland's State of Origin series win. He scored his first Origin try in the Maroons' Game 2 loss.
In Round 12 of the 2015 NRL season, Scott scored two tries in a game for the first time in his NRL career, in the Cowboys 18-14 win over the Manly Sea Eagles.
Scott was man of the match in the Cowboys 39-0 victory over the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in Week Two of the 2015 Finals Series.[24] The Cowboys went on to defeat the Melbourne Storm the week after to book their place in the Grand Final.[25] On 4 October 2015, Scott co-captained the Cowboys' Grand Final winning side, in the side's 17-16 victory over the Brisbane Broncos.
At the Dally M Awards, Scott was named Dally M Captain of the year alongside teammate Johnathan Thurston.[26]
2016
Scott warming up for the Kangaroos in 2016
On 21 February 2016, Scott co-captained the Cowboys' World Club Challenge winning side, starting at prop in the side's 38-4 victory over the Leeds Rhinos at Headingley Stadium. Scott regained his spot in the Australia side for the annual Anzac Test and started at prop in all 3 games of Queensland's State of Origin series win.
Scott collecting his medal in the 2016 Four Nations Final at Anfield
In Round 1 of the 2018 NRL season, Scott successfully returned from his ACL knee injury in the Cowboys' 20–14 win over the Cronulla Sharks.[28] In the Cowboys' Round 24 victory over the Parramatta Eels, Scott played his 250th NRL game for the club, becoming just the third player to do so.[29]
Scott played 18 games for the Cowboys in 2018, missing a number games due to a recurring neck injury, for which he underwent surgery at the end of the season.[30][31]
2019
On 19 July, Scott announced his retirement from rugby league at the end of the 2019 NRL season.[32] On 20 August, the Cowboys announced that Scott had suffered a mild stroke two days earlier, following a Round 22 loss to the Newcastle Knights.[33] On 4 September, he was discharged from hospital in Brisbane and returned to Townsville.[34] In his final NRL season, Scott played 17 games, scoring two tries.
A 1.9-metre metal sculpture of Matt Scott was unveiled in Ilfracombe on 24 September 2021.[35] It was created by scrap metal artist Milynda Rogers who was commissioned by the Ilfracombe District Progress Association to complete the project with the aim of inspiring the region's youth while also giving the town a focus of pride.[35] Approximately 200 people attended the official unveiling.[35]
Statistics
NRL
Statistics are correct to the end of the 2019 season[36]
Scott and his wife Lauren have two sons, Hugo and Wil and a daughter, Freya.[37][38][35]
Related Research Articles
The North Queensland Cowboys is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, the largest city in North Queensland. They compete in Australia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League (NRL).
Matthew Jeremy Bowen is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. An Australia international and Queensland State of Origin representative fullback, he played in the National Rugby League for Australian club, the North Queensland Cowboys, with whom he set the club's record for most matches, and in the Super League for English club, the Wigan Warriors. Bowen was the NRL's top try-scorer in the 2005 and 2007 seasons. Former Queensland and Australian captain Darren Lockyer has called Bowen a "little freak", citing his skills and dynamism. Two-time premiership winning coach Phil Gould remarked in 2005 that he was a "modern-day icon of the game", saying that "Bowen has unique football instincts. He performs the difficult with ease and some of his feats have redefined what we once believed to be impossible."
Scott Prince is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a halfback in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s.
Samuel Arthur Thaiday is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played for the Brisbane Broncos in the National Rugby League, serving as their captain from 2012 until 2013. An Australian international and Queensland State of Origin representative second-row, he can also play prop and lock as well as hooker and spent all of his career at the Broncos, with whom he won the 2006 premiership. In 2008, Australia's centenary of rugby league and Thaiday's sixth year at the top level, he was one of only three current players to be named in the Indigenous Australian rugby league team of the century. On 6 July 2018, Thaiday announced his intention to retire from the NRL at the end of the 2018 season.
Johnathan Dean Thurston is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the National Rugby League (NRL). Thurston was an Australian international, Queensland State of Origin and Indigenous All Stars representative. He played as a halfback or five-eighth and was a noted goal-kicker.
Gavin Cooper is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a second-row for the North Queensland Cowboys, Gold Coast Titans and Penrith Panthers in the NRL.
Petero Civoniceva, is a Fijian-Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. A Queensland State of Origin and Australian international representative prop forward, in 2009 he broke the record for most international matches for Australia of any forward in history. Civoniceva played his club football for the Brisbane Broncos, with whom he won the 1998, 2000 and 2006 NRL Premierships, as well as for the Penrith Panthers, whom he captained. Late in his career whilst playing for the Redcliffe Dolphins in the Queensland Cup, Civoniceva captained the Fiji national team in their 2013 Rugby League World Cup campaign. The Petero Civoniceva Medal is awarded to the Australian Fijian rugby league footballer of the year, while the Civoniceva Medal is awarded to the Queensland Cup player voted as the best and fairest.
Cooper Patrick Cronk is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. An Australian international and Queensland State of Origin representative halfback, he played most of his club career for the Melbourne Storm, though finished his career with the Sydney Roosters, both in the National Rugby League.
The 2006 Brisbane Broncos season was the nineteenth in the club's history. Coached by Wayne Bennett and captained by Darren Lockyer, they won the NRL's 2006 Telstra Premiership, finishing the regular season in 3rd place before going on to defeat the first-placed Melbourne Storm in the 2006 NRL Grand Final.
The 2006 Dally M Awards were presented on Tuesday 5 September 2006 at the Sydney Town Hall in Sydney and broadcast on Fox Sports. Warren Smith presided as Master of Ceremonies, a role which he had held in previous years.
The 2007 Dally M Awards were presented on Tuesday 4 September 2007 at the Sydney Town Hall in Sydney and broadcast on Fox Sports. Warren Smith presided as Master of Ceremonies a role which he had held in previous years.
James Tamou is an Australia international professional rugby league footballer who plays as a prop for the North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rugby League.
Michael Morgan is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the NRL.
The 2005 Dally M Awards were presented on Tuesday 6 September 2005 at the Sydney Town Hall in Sydney and broadcast on Fox Sports. Warren Smith presided as Master of Ceremonies.
The 2011 North Queensland Cowboys season was the 17th season in the club's history. They competed in the National Rugby League's 2011 Telstra Premiership. They finished the regular season in 7th place and were knocked out in the first week of the finals by the eventual premiers, the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles.
The 2011 State of Origin series was the 30th annual best-of-three series of interstate rugby league football matches between the Queensland and New South Wales representative teams contested under "State of Origin" selection rules. For the third successive year a Queensland victory set a new record for consecutive State of Origin titles, reaching six. Game I was played in Brisbane, Game II in Sydney and Game III was again played in Brisbane. Game III was also Australia's most watched sports TV programme for the year 2011.
The 2012 Brisbane Broncos season was the 25th in the club's history. Coached by Anthony Griffin and captained by Sam Thaiday, they competed in the NRL's 2012 Telstra Premiership, finishing the regular season eighth to make it into the finals. The Broncos were then knocked out of contention in the first game of the finals against the North Queensland Cowboys. So began the Broncos' longest ever premiership drought.
Jordan McLean is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a prop for the North Queensland Cowboys in the NRL and Australia at international level.
The 2020 Dally M Awards were presented on Monday 19 October 2020. They are the official annual awards of the National Rugby League and are named after Dally Messenger.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
