Allan Scott commenced his football career at the Launceston Grammar School along with his twin brother Don. He and Don were approached by Essendon while still at school and asked to go to the mainland but refused.
Allan played his first North vs South games in 1917 while still a schoolboy.
When the NTFA resumed in 1919 he joined North Launceston and was appointed captain before the season ended. However the season was cut short due to the influenza epidemic. North were the leading team at the time.
He was selected in the NTFA team in five consecutive years from 1920 to 1924.
In 1922 he played in the drawn grand final for North against City with both sides registering 5.11.41. The Association committee decided at a special meeting that under the rules the result left City as premiers for the season since they had a two point lead at the end of the 11 roster matches.
He was a member of the 1923 premiership side when North beat City by six points 5.9.39 to 4.9.33. Unluckily they were beaten by 17 points by North Hobart in the battle for the State premiership. Both Scott brothers were club trophy winners for the 1923 season and also played against visiting sides Broken Hill and Collingwood plus the TFL and NWFU.
An unusual representation of the 1923 premiership side. Allan Scott is second from the left at the bottom of the picture while his brother Don is pictured in the top left corner.
He was vice captain and coach to Ted Winstanley when North Launceston won the premiership in 1923 and stayed with the Robins for another two seasons. In 1924 he played under the captaincy of his brother Don and H H Sutton in 1925.
While with the Robins he was selected to play for Tasmania in the 1924 ANFC carnival in Hobart.
The 1924 Tasmanian carnival team - Allan Scott is pictured in the second row second from the left. His brother Don is third from the left. Also in the picture is Allan Leitch, third from the left in the back row. Hector Brooks is first left in the front row with Horrie Gorringe second from right.
In the 1925 premiership race North Launceston beat Launceston 8.8.56 to 6.10.46 on October 10th a day of heavy rain squalls. Both Scott brothers featured prominently. The State premiership decider against Cananore was held in Hobart before a crowd of 6000 spectators. Unfortunately North were not up to the job and wre swept aside by a rampaging Cananore who played fast systematic football to administer a 71 point defeat. The only department that the northern premiers showed any superiority in was the air where the Scott brothers gave a fine display. Allan Scott won the medal for best player in the North Launceston team.
The 1925 North Launceston NTFA premiership side. Allan Scott is pictured second from left in the front row while Don is third from right in the front row.
Moving to the mainland he played the 1926 season with Warracknabeal in the Wimmera Association.
Returning to Tasmania he joined Cananore for the 1927 and 1928 seasons winning the clubs ten guinea trophy for the best player in the side in 1927 and represented the State in the 1927 carnival in Melbourne.
After playing for St.Kilda in the 1929 and 1930 seasons as one of the Saints opening ruckmen and centre half forward. St.Kilda made the final four in 1929 for the first time since 1913.
He again returned to Launceston.
At the start of the season Allan was appointed captain and coach of North Launceston in 1931 which proved to be a great success as the club won the premiership.
North beat Longford at York Park on September 26th, dominating the match to win decisively by 30 points, 10.13.73 to 6.7.43.
North Launceston visited Hobart to take on Cananore for the State premiership on October 3rd.
The match was marred by heavy rain almost throughout the entire game and the ground was almost covered in water. Good football was out of the question, but the match was exciting to the finish.
With a lead of five points and less than a minute to play North was unlucky not to win the state title. With seconds to go Cananore was awarded a doubtful mark and when a goal resulted the southern premiers were a point ahead when the bell rang. ; 7.7.49 to 7.6.48.
Allan and Don Scott were judged best for North Launceston.
The 1931 NTFA premiers - North Launceston. Allan Scott is pictured in the centre holding the ball with brother Don sitting on the right of him.
He captain/coached again in 1932 when the club lost the grand final by 3 points to City and also led all the NTFA combined teams in those two years.
After playing 133 senior games with North Launceston he moved south once more to coach New Town to the semi final where they were defeated by North Hobart in 1933. North went down to Cananore in the grand final and New Town were the only team to defeat Cananore that season. The New Town team had only won one match in the previous year and the year before that had only won only two games.
At the end of the season he retired.
Allan Scott was classed as one of the best utility players ever produced in the Apple Isle.
While in senior football he made the representative sides in both North and South.
He played probably the greatest game of his career at Launceston in 1923 against the visiting Collingwood team where he dominated the centre.
The visitors tried three different players; Sparrow, Brown and Poulter, against him but to no avail.
Also took a spectacular one handed mark over the top of a large pack during the game. Coach Jock McHale sought his services for Collingwood but he declined the offer.
A magnificent long drop kick, he has the distinction of having booted a goal from the centre of the MCG when playing for St.Kilda against Melbourne on one occasion. He was congratulated on the effort by Redlegs leader Ivor Warne-Smith, who declared the kick was the best he had ever seen.
In addition to being a follower and centre half forward, Scott also played at fullback with distinction.
The North Launceston football club senior best and fairest award is named after Allan and his brother Don.
Back to Top
Allan Scott - A Tasmanian Football Legend
