When talk turns to All Australian selections, the names Hird, Voss and Buckley usually dominate the discussion. But in 2003 there was no more certain All-Australian selection than Geelong full back Matthew Scarlett.

For the third consecutive season Scarlett held his opponents to under two goals per game and he often turned defence into attack with telling delivery and hard running from his post.

The 24-year old Scarlett held in check the league’s leading forwards week in week out. Consider the list of scalps that Scarlett claimed this season and the form of those players before and after they took on the Geelong full back.

Scarlett held Coleman Medalist Matthew Lloyd to one goal in their round 13 battle. Lloyd had booted 16 goals in the three games before facing Scarlett and followed up with eight the week after. Fraser Gehrig was limited to one goal in round 22 after having kicked 18 in the previous four games. Last season’s Coleman Medalist David Neitz kicked seven goals in round three and six in round five. How did he go against Scarlett in round four? Two goals.

“Matthew has been fantastic over the past three seasons, but he raised his game to a new level this year,” Geelong coach Mark Thompson said.

“He has always had the ability to limit his opponent and this year he really gave us great drive out of the backline. His confidence just kept on growing and his performances over the course of the season got better and better. Matthew is a deserving All-Australian.”

Representative honours are nothing new to the Scarlett family. Matthew wore the green and gold against Ireland last year and his father John earned Victorian selection in 1971. Scarlett senior played 183 games with the Cats and 29 with South Melbourne. He was 20th man in the 1967 grand final against Richmond. Matthew joined the Cats under the father-son rule in 1997 and has established himself as the AFL’s pre-eminent full back.

Scarlett has played 91 games since debuting against Essendon in round 22 1998.