Gordon 'Whopper' Lane is a former Australian rules footballer who represented the Essendon and South Melbourne

Sydney Swans

The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...

 in the VFL

Australian Football League

The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

. He played as a forward with a strong overhead mark and was rated by Jack Dyer

Jack Dyer

John Raymond Dyer Sr. OAM , always known as Jack Dyer, was one of the colossal figures of Australian rules football during two distinct careers, firstly as a player and coach of the Richmond Football Club in the Victorian Football League between 1931 and 1952, and later in the broadcast media for...

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.

Career Highlights

• 3 time Premiership player with Essendon 1942, 1946, 1949
• 2nd in the 1946 Essendon best and fairest count
• Captain and coach of South Melbourne 1950 - 52
• South Melbourne leading goalkicker 1950 and 1952

External links

• Fullpointsfooty profile of Gordon Lane