Gordon Strang

Gordon "Cocker" Strang (10 February 1908 – 8 October 1951)[2] was an Australian rules footballer who played in the Victorian Football League for the Richmond Football Club between 1931 and 1936.

Gordon Strang
Personal information
Date of birth 10 February 1908[1]
Date of death 8 October 1951(1951-10-08) (aged 43)
Original team(s) East Albury
Debut 2 May 1931 (round 1), Richmond
vs. Carlton, at Princes Park
Height 185 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight 82.5 kg (182 lb)
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1931–1936, 1938 Richmond 116 (108)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1938.
Career highlights
  • Richmond Premiership Player 1932, 1934
  • Interstate Games:- 9
  • Richmond – Team of the Century
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

He was the son of Bill Strang, who played for South Melbourne between 1904 and 1913 (and was South Melbourne's leading goal-kicker in 1913)[3]

After a year in Tasmania as captain-coach of North Launceston, he returned to Richmond, and played all of Richmond's 18 matches in the 1938 season, scoring 6 goals.

He then transferred to Wodonga as captain-coach in 1939.

He was the brother of Richmond premiership player Doug Strang and uncle of dual Richmond premiership player Geoff Strang and 1967 Tiger's premiership player John Perry. His (and Doug's) other brothers, Colin Strang and Allan Strang[4] also played VFL football: for St Kilda (2 games, 1933), and South Melbourne (15 games, 1947–1948),[5][6] respectively.

Richmond

Along with his brother Doug (who was selected at full-forward), he made his debut for Richmond in the first round of the 1931 season, on 2 May 1931, at centre half-back; The Argus commented that, on debut, he had "showed grit" and had "kicked well".[7]

North Launceston

In 1937 he coached North Launceston to runner-up position in the Northern Tasmanian Football Association; and, despite rumours to the contrary, he did not apply for the position of coach in the 1938 season.[8][9]

Richmond

He returned to play for Richmond in 1938;[10] and he played in each of Richmond's 18 games that season.

Wodonga

In May 1939, Strong took over the Railway Hotel in Wodonga and Richmond cleared Strang to Wodonga.[11]

Strang polled the most votes in the 1939 Ovens and Murray Football League Best & Fairest Award, the Morris Medal, but was suspended by the O&MFL Tribunal during the season.[12] He went onto win the Morris Medal in 1940.[13] He also won Wodonga's best and fairest in 1939 and 1940.[14]

In 1939 he coached Wodonga in a losing Grand Final over an Albury team that was coached by his brother, Doug.[15]

The Ovens and Murray Football League premiers in 1939 was the Albury Football Club.[16]

Footnotes
  1. "AFL Tables - Gordon Strang - Stats - Statistics". AFL Tables. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  2. "Death of star footballer". The News. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 8 October 1951. p. 2. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  3. AFL Statistics: Bill Strang
  4. AFL Statistics: Allan Strang.
  5. Former N.S.W. Rules Stars, The Sydney Morning Herald, (Saturday, 19 June 1948), p.9.
  6. South Player at Williamstown, The Argus, (Monday 11 April 1949), p.13.
  7. Football: Great Last Quarter: Richmond's Recovery at Carlton, The Argus, (Monday, 4 May 1931), pp.
  8. Strang in Melbourne: Probably Available to Play with Richmond, The Mercury, (Wednesday, 16 February 1938), p.13.
  9. Football: Strang Was Not Applicant, The Mercury, (Tuesday, 25 January 1938), p.9.
  10. Strang, Crowe Cleared, The Argus, (Saturday, 23 April 1938), p.15.
  11. League and V.F.A.: Question of Clearances, The Argus, (Thursday, 18 May 1939), p.26.
  12. "1940 - O&MFL Morris Medal Disqualification". Trove Newspapers. The Corowa Free Press Newspaper.
  13. "1940 - O&MFL - Morris Medal votes". Trove Newspapers. Border Morning Mail newspaper.
  14. Senior Best & Fairest
  15. Jones, H., "Footy club pays tribute to hero", The Border Mail, (25 April 2006).
  16. "1939 - O&MFL Grand Final match review". Trove Newspapers. The Corowa Free Press Newspaper.

References
  • Hogan P: The Tigers of Old, Richmond FC, Melbourne 1996
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