William Gordon "Cocker" Strang (10 February 1908 – 8 October 1951) was an

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

er who played in the

Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football competition in Australia operated by the Australian Football League (AFL) as a second-tier, regional, semi-professional competition. It includes teams from clubs based in east ...

for the

Richmond Football Club The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed the Tigers or colloquially the Tiges, is a professional Australian rules football team competing in the Australian Football League (AFL). Founded in 1885 in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond, Victoria, Ric ...

between 1931 and 1936.

Family

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) He was the brother of

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

premiership player Doug Strang and uncle of dual

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.

Football

Strang first came under notice when he kicked 10 goals for Jindera FC in the Albury & Border Football Association, in 1927. 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 (pronounced ; ) is a city on the Victorian side of the border with New South Wales, north-east of Melbourne, Australia. It is part of the twin city of Albury-Wodonga and is located wholly within the boundaries of the City of Wodonga L ...

as captain-coach in 1939.

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, Strang took over the Railway Hotel in Wodonga and Richmond cleared him to

. Strang polled the most votes in the 1939

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

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 against an Albury team that was coached by his brother, Doug. The

premiers in 1939 was the Albury Football Club.

Death

He collapsed at his residence in Wodonga on 8 October 1951 and, later that day, died at Albury Hospital."Funeral of Mr W. G. Strang"
''The Border Morning Mail'', (16 October 1951), p. 2.

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 VFL/AFL premiership players Australian rules footballers from Albury