SCOTT CLOCKS OFF
Cowboys great to retire at season’s end
HE HAS played every game with an unmatched resilience and toughness, but yesterday Cowboys legend Matt Scott was reduced to tears.
In an emotion charged moment, the 263-game veteran announced his retirement from the game at the end of the season.
It was a decision that Scott has fought with for months.
After putting his body through the ringer for 16 years, and battling back from what should have been career threatening injuries, eventually it was time to close the book on what has been a storied career.
“I have been really blessed with the career that I have had and I have squeezed every last drop out of my body (over 16 years),” he said.
“There was always going to be something serious to happen to make this decision. What my body has gone through for the last couple of years from injuries, the writing was on the wall.”
“I would have loved to have played forever, I still have a great deal of passion for the club and the game.
“It takes a lot for me not to play a game, (so) to stop playing entirely it was quite hard for me.”
Scott has left nothing on the field over his career at the Cowboys after arriving at the club in 2003 fresh out of high school.
Hailing from Ilfracombe, the 33-year-old has embodied the hardworking country spirit in his time at the Cowboys.
Through all the career setbacks and injuries, he has continued to persevere, leading the club to prominence, and eventually a maiden grand final in 2015. A premiership season that he helped captain alongside fellow club legend Johnathan Thurston.
But through it all, it has been the man he was off the field that meant the most to the Cowboys.
“It’s always difficult when a guy of his stature at the club retires and probably words don’t really do complete justice to the contribution Matt has made,” coach Paul Green said.
“It’s emotional to see him go through (retirement), you want to try and help him. But it is inevitable, at some stage that time comes for everyone, and I think he handled it with grace and class, which is how he played his whole career.
“We are here to support him, and like we did when he was playing, we will continue to support him.”
Scott broke down during his announcement as he reflected on the years he has spent with the Cowboys and the countless number of people who have played a part or supported him throughout his career.
“It has been a really life changing and quite unbelievable experience considering where I have come from,” Scott said.
“Special thanks to the Cowboys and the whole North Queensland community; you welcomed me with open arms from day one.
“It is no doubt the overweight, freckly, young country kid from Ilfracombe would have been quickly chewed up and spit out if I had signed anywhere else.”