| Frank Scully | |
| Fullname: | Francis Leo Scully |
| Birth Date: | 1899 10, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | South Melbourne, Victoria |
| Death Place: | North Melbourne, Victoria |
| Originalteam: | Windsor |
| Height: | 171 cm |
| Statsend: | 1927 |
| Years1: | 1924–1927 |
| Club1: | St Kilda |
| Games Goals1: | 41 (42) |
Francis Leo Scully (28 October 1899 – 5 May 1980) was an Australian rules footballer who played with St Kilda in the Victorian Football League (VFL).[1]
Scully enlisted to serve in the Australian Army in May 1918, completing training at Broadmeadows and, having embarked from Sydney on 5 November 1918, was on his way to Europe when the Armistice with Germany was signed that brought an end to fighting in Europe.[2]
Scully, a recruit from Windsor, started his St Kilda career in the 1924 VFL season. Debuting in round five, Scully was a regular fixture in the team for the rest of the year and won St Kilda's "best first-year player" award for his performances in 12 games.[3] [4] In round 17 he was reported for striking Essendon player Charlie May, for which he was suspended for five games.[5]
He did not return the following season until round six and kicked three goals in his first game back, against Essendon.[3] [6] He played every game except the final two rounds, due to a shoulder injury.[3] [7]
His 1926 season was interrupted by an eight-week suspension, incurred for an incident in St Kilda's round two loss to Geelong at Junction Oval.[8] The incident happened after Scully received a free kick for having his arm pulled by Geelong's Ken Leahy.[9] According to the field umpire's account, Scully punched the ball away following the free kick, which struck Leahy in the face.[9] [10] The pair then exchanged blows and had to be separated by the boundary umpire.[9] As Leahy was the first to strike, Scully's suspension was for "retaliation".[9] The tribunal chairman believed Leahy was the aggressor, but as Scully was also charged with striking they could not take provocation into account.[9] [11] Leahy was also suspended for eight weeks.[11]
A return to football was further delayed by a court case, relating to the theft of a motor vehicle tyre from the property of St Kilda vice president John Beddison.[12] Scully pleaded guilty to the charge and was committed for trial in August, along with four other men, two of them his brothers.[12] On the night in question, the men had dinner at the Duke of Edinburgh Hotel in St Kilda, which was managed by Beddison.[13] Soon after 8 pm, the men left in a taxi and Beddison noticed that the tyre was missing from his car outside the hotel.[13] Prosecutors alleged that Scully had taken the tyre, which he dropped off at a local motor garage during the taxi ride.[14] The judge asked the jury to take into consideration that Scully was intoxicated and the jury returned a not guilty verdict.[14] He played in three of the final four rounds of the season.[3]
In 1927, Scully played 14 games for St Kilda and kicked 18 goals.[15] The following year he left to coach Penshurst.[16] [17]