PLAYER 1940 -1954
FREMANTLE CBC AMATEUR FOOTBALL CLUB

The WA Amateur Football League inducts into its Hall of Champions as a High Achiever one of Western Australia’s greatest full forwards – Bernie Naylor.

Naylor played for CBC Old Boys in 1940 and after the end of World War II went on to play in six South Fremantle premiership teams.

He led the WA goal-kicking in the WANFL six times, from 1946 to 1948 and again from 1952 to 1954. His fast leading and trademark spiral torpedo punt kick from long distances on any angle will be remembered by anybody who saw him play. Naylor’s brilliant football career was interrupted for five seasons by World War II when he did Army service in both Darwin and New Britain.

After the war ended he rewrote the record book for kicking goals. He set a record for most goals in a single game – twenty three of South Fremantle’s 35 goals against Subiaco in 1953. An amazing sidelight to that effort was that he failed to kick a goal in the second quarter. That year Naylor topped the goal kicking with 156 majors, and won South Fremantle’s fairest and best, a wonderful feat for a full forward.

His career brilliance was highlighted by the fact that he kicked 10 or more goals in a single game on 17 occasions. So great was his contribution to Australian Football at the senior level that he was inducted into the Fremantle Football Hall of Legends in 1996 and in 2005 into the West Australian Football Hall of Fame.

The leading goal kicker in the WAFL each year now wins the Bernie Naylor Medal. In all, Bernie Naylor kicked 1034 goals in a 195-game career, kicking more than 100 goals in each of five seasons.

The name Naylor is synonymous with CBC Old Boys, one of WA’s greatest amateur clubs, because of the exploits of both Bernie and his brother Tom. Tom Naylor is also in the amateur league’s Hall of Champions, being named in the inaugural list of Champions.

Bernie Naylor was a unique player who became a household name in Western Australian football. After his debut at CBC Old Boys, and service for Australia in the war, he had an outstanding career.

Bernie Naylor passed away in 1993 at the age of 70 and the WA Amateur Football League is pleased to honour him as a High Achiever into our Hall of Champions.