Gordon "Cocker" Strang (10 February 1908 – 8 October 1951) was an Australian rules footballer who played in the

Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...

for the Richmond Football Club between 1931 and 1936. Strang first came under notice when he kicked 10 goals for Jindera FC in the Albury & Border Football Association, in 1927. 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) 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 Wodonga ( Waywurru: ''Wordonga'') is a city on the Victorian side of the border with New South Wales, north-east of Melbourne, Australia. It is located wholly within the boundaries of the City of Wodonga LGA. Its population is approximately ...

as captain-coach in 1939. He was the brother of Richmond premiership player

Doug Strang Francis Douglas Strang (12 July 1912 – 28 March 1954) was an Australian rules footballer who played as a full forward in the VFL between 1931 and 1935 for the Richmond Football Club. Family He married Ina Lillian McCullough, at Geelong o ...

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 also played VFL football: for St Kilda (2 games, 1933), and South Melbourne (15 games, 1947–1948), 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".

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.

Richmond

He returned to play for Richmond in 1938; 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

. Strang polled the most votes in the 1939

Ovens and Murray Football League The Ovens and Murray Football Netball League (O&MFNL) is an Australian rules football and netball competition containing ten clubs based in north-eastern Victoria, the southern Riverina region of New South Wales and the Ovens and Murray are ...

Best & Fairest Award, the Morris Medal, but was suspended by the O&MFL Tribunal during the season. He went onto win the Morris Medal in 1940. He also won Wodonga's best and fairest in 1939 and 1940. In 1939 he coached Wodonga in a losing Grand Final over an Albury team that was coached by his brother, Doug. The

premiers in 1939 was the

Albury Football Club The Albury Football Club, nicknamed the ''Tigers'', is an Australian rules football and netball club based in Albury, a major regional city in New South Wales. Albury football and netball squads compete in the Ovens & Murray Football League. C ...

Footnotes

References

* Hogan P: ''The Tigers of Old'', Richmond FC, Melbourne 1996

External links

* * * 1930
East Albury FC team photo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Strang, Gordon 1908 births 1951 deaths Australian Rules footballers: place kick exponents Richmond Football Club players Richmond Football Club Premiership players Albury Football Club players Wodonga Football Club players Wodonga Football Club coaches North Launceston Football Club coaches Two-time VFL/AFL Premiership players Australian rules footballers from Albury