Scott Lucas (footballer)

Last updated

Scott Lucas
Personal information
Date of birth (1977-12-30) 30 December 1977 (age 45)
Original team(s) Geelong Falcons
Draft No. 4, 1994 National Draft
Debut Round 5, 25 April 1996, Essendon  vs. Collingwood, at Melbourne Cricket Ground
Height 192 cm (6 ft 4 in)
Weight 97 kg (214 lb)
Playing career1
YearsClubGames (Goals)
1996–2009 Essendon 270 (471)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2009.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Scott Lucas (born 30 December 1977) is a former Australian rules footballer for the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League, and he is noted as being the other major forward for the Bombers along with Matthew Lloyd during Essedon's turn-of-the-century domination. Together, Lloyd and Lucas were affectionately dubbed the "twin towers" due to their height in the Bomber forward line.

Contents

Football career

Lucas is known for his strong marking and being a powerful, accurate left-foot kick, although his apparent inability to kick with his right foot is almost as notable. Lucas once joked on The Sunday Footy Show in 2006 that the last time he kicked with his right foot was to Gary Moorcroft when he took the famous 2001 Mark of the Year, considered by many to be the greatest AFL mark of all time. [1]

Lucas mainly played across half-forward or centre half-forward, but he also played at centre half-back and full-forward. Lucas regularly had shots on goal from outside 60 metres with his booming left foot, and he rarely handballed, averaging 3.09 handballs a game (although it was actually slightly more than Lloyd's career average of 3.01). Nevertheless, Lucas's kick-to-handball ratio was 3.88, whereas Lloyd's was 3.34. [2] [3]

In Round 19, 2005, Lucas played his 200th AFL game and kicked his 300th AFL goal against Sydney at Telstra Dome, but the milestones would be remembered for all the wrong reasons, as the Bombers lost by 20 points despite leading at every change. [4]

In 2006, Lucas had an outstanding year in an underachieving Essendon side, playing at full-forward and being their main target and goalkicker in the absence of captain Matthew Lloyd. Lucas finished the season with a career-best 67 goals, runner-up in the Coleman Medal behind Brendan Fevola, and polled a joint team-high seven votes from just 36 votes received by Essendon players in the 2006 Brownlow Medal. [5] [6] Lucas was one of just three players who played every match for season 2006. He capped off this season with his second Crichton Medal, winning with 239 votes from Jobe Watson's 221. [7] Lucas had previously won the club trophy in 2003, when the honours were shared with club legend James Hird. [8]

Against West Coast in Round 11, 2007, Lucas booted his 400th career goal.

A vintage display also came against West Coast in Round 22 when, despite being close to 50 points down, Lucas rallied in the last quarter in a remarkable solo effort, booting 7 goals (and just missing for a record-equalling eighth), reducing the margin to just 2 points. In the end, though, a late goal to the Eagles saw a gallant Essendon fall 8 points short of one of the greatest-ever AFL comebacks. This was also the last game of James Hird and coach of 27 years, Kevin Sheedy. [9]

During a match against the Western Bulldogs in the 2008 NAB Cup, Lucas managed to kick a record 3 Super Goals, [10] which took his career tally to 7, making him the leading super-goal-kicker in the AFL.

Lucas suffered a knee injury (specifically, a torn cartilage) in the first round of the 2008 season against North Melbourne and was out of action for a number of weeks. Along with teammate Dustin Fletcher, Lucas signed a one-year contract in mid-2008. He bounced back to play in the second half of the season and kicked an amazing midair soccer goal against Richmond late in the season. [11]

On 18 August 2009, Lucas announced his immediate retirement from football. [12]

In 2013, Lucas was inducted into the Essendon Football Club Hall of Fame. [13]

Playing statistics

[14]
Legend
  G  
 Goals
  K  
 Kicks
  D  
 Disposals  
  T  
 Tackles
  B  
 Behinds  
  H  
 Handballs  
  M  
 Marks
SeasonTeamNo.GamesTotalsAverages (per game)
GBKHDMTGBKHDMT
1996 Essendon 25141111844913344190.80.86.03.59.53.11.4
1997 Essendon 2522231124185326123241.00.511.03.914.85.61.1
1998 Essendon 2523493128751338123302.11.312.52.214.75.31.3
1999 Essendon 2510891062713345120.80.910.62.713.34.51.2
2000 Essendon 2523574226584349132382.51.811.53.715.25.71.7
2001 Essendon 2525353429776373135421.41.411.93.014.95.41.7
2002 Essendon 2519251523560295108331.30.812.43.215.55.71.7
2003 Essendon 2524191633483417130610.80.713.93.517.45.42.5
2004 Essendon 2521252127569344108531.21.013.13.316.45.12.5
2005 Essendon 2522512428948337134492.31.113.12.215.36.12.2
2006 Essendon 2522674431058368183333.02.014.12.616.78.31.5
2007 Essendon 2522612829266358159312.81.313.33.016.37.21.4
2008 Essendon 25918953177036122.01.05.91.97.84.01.3
2009 Essendon 251422141336219590331.61.09.54.413.96.42.4
Career2704713093201835403615504701.71.111.93.114.95.71.7

Personal life

On 4 January 2002, Lucas married Georgina Short. They have 3 daughters: Mia (born 12 December 2002), Hannah (born 12 July 2004), and Meg (born 26 May 2006).

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Essendon Football Club</span> Australian rules football club

The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed the Bombers, is a professional Australian rules football club. The club plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), the game's premier competition. The club was formed by the McCracken family in their Ascot Vale home "Alisa", and while the exact date is unknown, it is generally accepted to have been in 1872. The club's first recorded game took place on 7 June 1873 against a Carlton Second 20. From 1878 until 1896, the club played in the Victorian Football Association, then joined seven other clubs in October 1896 to form the breakaway Victorian Football League. Headquartered at the Essendon Recreation Ground, known as Windy Hill, from 1922 to 2013, the club moved to The Hangar in near Tullamarine in late 2013 on land owned by the Melbourne Airport. The club currently plays its home games at either Docklands Stadium or the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Zach Merrett is the current club captain.

James Albert Hird is a former professional Australian rules football player and past senior coach of the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Lloyd</span> Australian rules footballer

Matthew James Lloyd is a former professional Australian rules footballer, who played for the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Madden</span> Australian rules footballer, born 1957

Simon Madden is a former Australian rules footballer who played his entire 19-season career with the Essendon Football Club from 1974 until 1992. Madden is one of the most decorated players in the club's history and widely regarded as one of the finest ruckmen to ever play the game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brendon Goddard</span> Australian rules footballer, born 1985

Brendon Goddard is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for St Kilda and Essendon in the Australian Football League (AFL). He played for the St Kilda Football Club from 2003 to 2012, then with Essendon from 2013 to 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jobe Watson</span> Australian rules footballer, born 1985

Jobe Watson is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Watson, the son of three-time Essendon premiership champion Tim Watson, was drafted by Essendon under the father–son rule in the 2002 national draft, and went on to become one of the best midfielders of the modern era. A dual All-Australian and three-time Crichton Medallist, he captained Essendon from 2010 to early 2016, and was the face of the Essendon playing group during the most turbulent period in the club's history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Moorcroft</span> Australian rules footballer, born 1976

Gary Moorcroft is a former Australian rules football player for Essendon and Melbourne in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Matthew Little is an Australian rules footballer, who has previously played for the Hawthorn Football Club, in the Australian Football League (AFL). Little won the Frosty Miller Medal in 2010. Currently, Little plays for the Bendigo Bombers in the Victorian Football League (VFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brent Stanton</span> Australian rules footballer

Brent Stanton is a retired professional Australian rules footballer who played his entire career for the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2001 AFL Grand Final</span> Grand final of the 2001 Australian Football League season

The 2001 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Essendon Bombers and the Brisbane Lions, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 29 September 2001. It was the 105th annual grand final of the Australian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for the 2001 AFL season. The match, attended by 91,482 spectators, was won by Brisbane by a margin of 26 points, marking the club's first premiership since it was established in 1997.

Paul Vander Haar is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2000 AFL Grand Final</span> Grand final of the 2000 Australian Football League season

The 2000 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Essendon Football Club and the Melbourne Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 2 September 2000 rather than in its usual last Saturday of September date to avoid conflicting with the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. It was the 104th annual grand final of the Australian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for the 2000 AFL season. The match, attended by 96,249 spectators, was won by Essendon by a margin of 60 points, marking that club's 16th premiership and thereby equalling the record for the most VFL/AFL premierships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Dangerfield</span> Australian rules footballer

Patrick Dangerfield is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He previously played for the Adelaide Football Club from 2008 to 2015. He has served as Geelong captain since the 2023 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Zaharakis</span> Australian rules footballer

David Zaharakis is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played 13 seasons for the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stewart Crameri</span> Australian rules footballer

Stewart Crameri is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for Essendon, Western Bulldogs and Geelong in the Australian Football League (AFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dyson Heppell</span> Australian rules footballer

Dyson Heppell is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Heppell won the AFL Rising Star award in his first season in 2011, and won a Crichton Medal and All-Australian selection in 2014. He served as Essendon captain from the 2017 season, and relinquished the captaincy before 2023 season proper having led the side 107 times.

In Round 16, 2001, an Australian rules football home-and-away match was played between Essendon and the Kangaroos at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 22 July 2001. The match saw the largest successful comeback in the history of the VFL/AFL, with Essendon winning by twelve points after trailing by 69 points midway through the second quarter; additionally, it was one of the highest-scoring games in the league's history. It is considered the best game of football ever played by some observers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Daniher</span> Australian rules footballer

Joe Daniher is an Australian rules footballer with the Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League (AFL). He previously played for the Essendon Football Club from 2013 to 2020, having been recruited to the club under the father–son rule. Daniher won a Crichton Medal and All-Australian selection in 2017, as well as the 2017 AFL Mark of the Year and Anzac Medal for that season. He is also a four-time Essendon leading goalkicker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zach Merrett</span> Australian rules footballer

Zach Merrett is a professional Australian rules footballer, currently the captain of the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL) A medium-sized midfielder standing at 1.79 metres tall and weighing 83 kilograms, Merrett is able to contribute as a hard-running midfielder capable of collecting a large number of uncontested possessions whilst also being capable of winning a contested ball and clearance. He was recruited by the Essendon Football Club with the twenty-sixth selection in the 2013 AFL draft and made his debut in the 2014 season. Merrett is a three-time Crichton Medallist and dual All-Australian; in 2023, he was selected to be the 41st captain of the Essendon Football Club.

References

  1. ↑ Robinson, Mark. "Top 10 Speccies of All Time: No 8 Gary Moorcroft, Essendon".
  2. ↑ "AFL Tables - Scott Lucas - Stats - Statistics". afltables.com. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  3. ↑ "AFL Tables - Matthew Lloyd - Stats - Statistics". afltables.com. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  4. ↑ Gigacz, Andrew (6 August 2005). "Match Details: 2005 R19 Essendon vs Sydney". Australian Football. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  5. ↑ "Essendon Football Club News – Lucas, Stanton Bomber's best". Essendon Blog. 29 September 2006. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  6. ↑ "2006 Brownlow Medal". AFL Tables. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  7. ↑ "Lucas wins second Crichton Medal". 14 September 2006.
  8. ↑ Johnson, Len (2 October 2003). "Hird and Lucas share medal".
  9. ↑ "Bombers fall short of fairytale finish". 2 September 2007.
  10. ↑ "Lucas gives Camperdown a kick-along". Herald Sun. 7 March 2008.
  11. ↑ Robinson, Mark (25 March 2008). "Bombers lose Lucas but find positives". Herald Sun. Retrieved 25 March 2008.
  12. ↑ Nicholls, Michael: Lucas calls it quits, AFL Online , 18 August 2009.
  13. ↑ Scott Lucas, essendonfc.com.au, 4 March 2013
  14. ↑ Scott Lucas' player profile at AFL Tables

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