Ray George Sorrell (born 1 January 1938) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with

East Fremantle East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fa ...

and South Fremantle in the

West Australian National Football League The West Australian Football League (WAFL) is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The league currently consists of ten teams, which play each other in a 20-round season usually lasting from March to September, ...

(WANFL). A centreman, Sorrell achieved many accolades during his time at East Fremantle. He was a dual

Sandover Medal The Sandover Medal is an Australian rules football award, given annually since 1921 to the fairest and best player in the West Australian Football League. The award was donated by Alfred Sandover M.B.E., a prominent Perth hardware merchant and ...

winner, finishing equal first with Neville Beard in 1961 and then winning the award outright in 1963. The 1961 medal was given to Beard on countback but Sorrell was awarded it retrospectively in the 1990s when the league decided to reward those who had lost in a similar fashion. He was also a dual

Simpson Medal The Simpson Medal is an individual prize awarded for Australian rules football in Western Australia. The medal has been donated by Dr Fred Simpson and family since 1945. Simpson Medals are currently awarded to the following players: *The best pl ...

ist, winning both in 1962, one for being best on ground in the Grand Final that year and the other for performance against Tasmania in their interstate match. In total he represented the West Australians at interstate football on 18 occasions during his career and was named in two

All-Australian The All-Australian team is an all-star team of Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including an interchange bench, of the best-performed players during the season, led by ...

teams, in 1958 and 1961. Left-footed, Sorrell was a superb athlete and his raking drop kicks provided numerous opportunities for his forwards. His vision and anticipation marked him out from his opponents. Sorrell controversially joined arch-rival South Fremantle as captain-coach in 1964 and spent two seasons with them with little on-field success (second-last and last) before returning to East Fremantle where he finished his 178-game WANFL career. In 1997 he was named on the wing in East Fremantle's Team of the Century and in 2007 he was named in the centre in the Fremantle Team of Legends. In 2016 Sorrell was inducted into the

Australian Football Hall of Fame The Australian Football Hall of Fame was established in 1996, the Centenary year of the Australian Football League, to help recognise the contributions made to the sport of Australian rules football by players, umpires, media personalities, co ...

, after being an inaugural inductee in the West Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2004. His grandsons, Harrison and Jonathon Marsh, are currently playing for the Sydney Swans and Collingwood respectively.

References

External links

WAFL playing statistics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sorrell, Ray 1938 births Living people East Fremantle Football Club players South Fremantle Football Club players South Fremantle Football Club coaches Sandover Medal winners All-Australians (1953–1988) Australian rules footballers from Western Australia West Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees