Gordon Francis 'Whopper' Lane (30 May 1921 – 21 July 1973) was an Australian rules footballer who represented the

Essendon Essendon may refer to: Australia *Electoral district of Essendon *Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington *Essendon, Victoria **Essendon railway station **Essendon Airport *Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League United King ...

and

South Melbourne South Melbourne is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, 3 km south of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, Central Business District, located within the City of Port Phillip Local government ...

in the VFL. He played as a forward with a strong overhead mark and was rated by

Jack Dyer John Raymond Dyer Sr. OAM (15 November 1913 – 23 August 2003), nicknamed Captain Blood, was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Richmond Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) between 1931 and 1949. One of the g ...

in 1946 as 'the best centre half forward in the game'. He is best remembered for his performances in Essendon's Grand Finals of the 1940s. In the 1942 final he kicked six goals and in 1946 kicked seven. Lane missed out on a chance to play in another Grand Final in 1947 due to him breaking his ribs in the preliminary final. He was injured again the following season, this time it was his knee and he moved to South Melbourne in 1950 where he would be both captain and coach for three years.

External links

*
Profile at Essendonfc.com.au
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lane, Gordon 1921 births Australian rules footballers from Melbourne Sydney Swans players Sydney Swans coaches Essendon Football Club players Essendon Football Club Premiership players 1973 deaths Three-time VFL/AFL Premiership players People from Essendon, Victoria