HE is the sometimes-controversial car salesman turned media character who knew where the goals were as a player but admits fitness was not his strong suit.
This week’s Where Are They Now looks back on the career of inaugural AFL leading goal kicker Scott Cummings and what the burly forward has been up to since leaving the game… spoiler alert, he still hates the Crows!
Cummings came to Port Adelaide to be part of its inaugural AFL list in 1996, after being traded from Essendon, where he had played 40 games.
His 70-goal 1997 season remains the second highest total booted by a Port Adelaide player in the AFL, behind the 81 kicked by Warren Tredrea in the club’s 2004 Premiership year.
1998 was interrupted by injury and suspension but he still kicked 32 majors in 16 games before being traded away to West Coast for Jarrad Schofield.
Cummings told portadelaidefc.com.au despite playing just 37 games (for 102 goals) in the colours, Port Adelaide remained a club close to his heart, despite not really wanting to leave the Bombers in the first place.
“I didn’t want to leave Essendon but approaching the trade deadline, even though I had a contract, I woke up one morning and was told Geelong or Port Adelaide so that was a bit of a shock and I basically had a few hours to decide,” he explained.
“I needed to pretty quickly work out where was best for us and I don’t think I really gave Geelong a second look. I looked at those horizontal stripes of theirs and I looked at me and decided they wouldn’t really suit me.
“Because of the connection, playing with Gavin (Wanganeen) and Mark Williams being an assistant coach when I was at Essendon I picked Port.
“I don’t know why but ‘Choco (Mark Williams) was always outside the club whenever I got dropped at Essendon. He’d walk me to the car and ask whether I was serious about wanting to play league footy.
“Gavin had told me a lot about the club and his decision to go. It was exciting to be part of something new and so we packed our bags and moved to Adelaide.”
It was a short but sweet stint in Adelaide for the larger-than-life character.
He rode the wave of the club’s elevation into the AFL and he created some of the best memories of his career.
“It was amazing to be a part of. I just fed off the supporters and their passion,” Cummings said.
“Running out to Footy Park and the theme song with the crowd going berserk.
“It was an eye opener for me but it was impossible not to get swept up in the supporters’ passion. You immerse yourself in the club and try to learn about it to understand where that passion comes from and why this club has been so good and why it’s going to be so good.
“To be written off by everyone – we were supposed to finish dead last and struggle to get a win but we just missed finals by percentage. It was incredible.”
Working with John Cahill
Cummings was what you might call a natural footballer. He was far from the elite athlete seen in today’s game.
What he lacked in running capacity, he made up for in footy smarts and goal sense… although it was not immediately evident to his new coach at Port Adelaide.
“I don’t think I impressed Jack Cahill immensely with my running. I believe he may have raised some concerns with Choco about it and asked ‘who is this bloke?’.
“He was the best motivator, he was compassionate, he had empathy for his players and cared for them, and it was so much fun to play footy for him.
“He developed this feeling that we stop for nobody and it was inspiring to play under him.
“It was probably my favourite year in my career and to narrowly miss finals and kick a few snags at the same time made it really special.”
Five goals in the club’s first win over Geelong, five in a 42-point comeback win over the Western Bulldogs and four in a win over Collingwood to avenge the debut thrashing at the MCG, but it was a bag of seven against his former side that stands out, for a couple of reasons.
“I can thank some of their supporters for that. When I was running out and they were calling me a traitor and I was thinking ‘well hang on, you sacked me!’,” Cummings joked.
“I think Gav got best on ground that day. It certainly wasn’t anything against my old teammates but it was certainly making a point to my old coach.
“I know it upset him that a player he didn’t want to leave had 30-odd and was best on ground and the bloke he did get rid of got seven (goals).
“Then we went to the pub after for the post-game presentations. I got second best on ground and my reward was a copy of Kevin Sheedy’s book. I don’t think that made it home to Adelaide.”
Moving on from Alberton
The emergence of a talented young forward named Warren Tredrea and Mark Williams’ elevation to senior coach spelled the end of Cummings at Alberton, despite him being under contract.
He was traded to West Coast at the end of 1998 with Jarrad Schofield coming the other way.
Schofield went on to become a Port Adelaide premiership player in 2004 while Cummings won the Coleman Medal with 95 goals for the Eagles in 1999, making it a win-win situation in the end.
“They had a pretty handy young replacement coming through at Port I guess, but it caught me off guard,” Cummings revealed of his move. “I had an extension with Port but then Choco – the bloke who got me over to Port – got the senior coaching job and he gave me the ass!
“I didn’t want to go but the decision was taken out of my hands and I was traded. If I was going to go anywhere, going home to Perth and to West Coast was a good option. Sitting down with Mick Malthouse was pretty similar to Jack Cahill and he said if I was in good shape and did all the right things, I’d get my chance.
“I was in the best shape of my career, doing extra sessions in the pre-season and then the team delivering the ball to me was pretty special as well so I had a good season and it was good vindication for me after a tough year in 1998.
“I copped it a fair bit in that last year at Port and it was a big regret for me how I handled it so to perform well, albeit at another club, the following season was good.”
158 goals and 46 games at West Coast came to an end in 2001 and he spent the 2002 season at Collingwood, where injury limited him to just five games.
“I was only going to play for a year for Collingwood then move back home to Perth,” Cummings said.
“Round 2 I did the first hamstring of my life. I had back issues, hip issues and the hamstring so to play five games was really disappointing.
“I just couldn’t get on the park enough so I had to call it a day. I still miss it but I knew my body wasn’t going to get better, which was surprising because I looked after my body so well!”
Crows contempt continues
Cummings retired aged 28 with 128 games and 349 goals to his name.
When he looks back on his career there are some things that stand out, like the Showdown rivalry with the Crows and the 14 goals he booted against them, while playing for West Coast, in Round 4, 2000.
“Every chance I got I was potting the Crows publicly because I was flying the Port Adelaide flag, that was the rivalry and that’s who we were,” Cumming said.
“Crows supporters absolutely hated me and didn’t they say some pretty ordinary things behind the goals, but I loved it.
“That very first Showdown, from the final siren of the game the week before the scarves went up, the flags, the posters in the shops, and the town was split.
“People would come up to you on the street absolutely fired up on the Monday and I’d be thinking they needed to settle down because there were six days to go.
“To beat them in the first Showdown game was just the best.”
And who can forget his goal front altercation with Crow Rod Jamieson?
Cummings would like to, but gets an annual reminder every time the Showdown rolls around.
“At the time I thought I did the right thing by not throwing punches because I played the next three weeks and Jamo didn’t,” Cummings said of the incident now.
“I had (runner) David Arnfield in my ear saying “don’t you throw one, don’t you throw one’ and I wanted to throw one at him.
“I get the phone calls before the Showdown every year and nowadays I just wish I threw a couple to have some sort of pride in my efforts!”
Radio, country footy and selling cars
When he finished in the AFL, Cummings played some country footy while on the sportsman’s night circuit.
He remained with Collingwood for three years in numerous roles from corporate and hospitality to coaching goal kicking.
“It was a good way to ease out of the system because it’s hard when it’s all you know,” Cummings said.
“I didn’t have any qualifications or skills so it was about using what I had so I was a car salesman for a bit at Lexus, which I had done in Adelaide at West Terrace 4WD, and then I combined some media stuff with radio sales.
“And the last 14 years I’ve been with the Robert Bird Group and I’m now Business Development Manager.
“We’ve got an office in Adelaide and before COVID I was coming over every three or four weeks, which was excellent because I really like Adelaide and the people there.”
And then there’s his family.
He married wife Naomi 20 years ago, having been together throughout his football journey and the couple has two kids.
“I think I could be batting a bit above myself, and get told that pretty much daily,” Cummings joked.
“We have two kids. We’ve got Harley who is 14 and loves his footy. He’s named Harley so I can remind him for the rest of his life what I had to sell when he came along.
“And my daughter Jolais is turning nine so they keep us pretty busy and life’s pretty good.”
Divided allegiances
So, after a journeyman career with four AFL clubs, where do his allegiances lie?
It would surprise many to know he classifies himself as a Collingwood fan nowadays while reserving a special place in his heart for Port Adelaide.
“I still really like Port Adelaide and when they play the Crows I’m still as loud as ever,” he said.
“I’ve still got some good mates from those days. When you think we had 40 guys thrown together, I think we proved a fair few people wrong and we’ll always have that connection. I still speak with Matty Primus a fair bit.
“When I tell people I barrack for Collingwood, they ask why when I was only there for a year and only played five games. I tell them it’s because they’re the only ones who didn’t sack me and let me retire – even thought that’s only because I got to Mick first at the end of the season!
“I absolutely still follow Port Adelaide and I’m really proud to have been part of that first ever team that ran out there in the AFL for the club.”
