Doug Strang

Doug Strang was an Australian rules footballer who played as a full forward in the VFL between 1931 and 1935 for the Richmond Football Club.

Doug Strang
Personal information
Date of birth (1912-07-12)12 July 1912
Date of death 28 March 1954(1954-03-28) (aged 41)
Place of death Albury, New South Wales
Original team(s) Jindera/East Albury
Debut 1931, Richmond
vs. Carlton, at Princes Park
Height 185 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight 80 kg (176 lb)
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1931–1935 Richmond 64 (180)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1935.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Strang was originally recruited from East Albury after one season in the Ovens and Murray Football League as part of a major country recruiting drive by the Tigers, who were eager to break a run of Grand Final losses to Collingwood dating back to 1927. In just his second VFL game, his 14 goals kicked against North Melbourne in 1931 still stands to this day as the record for the most goals kicked by a Richmond player in a single game, and as the youngest player to kick ten or more goals in a VFL game, at just 18 years and 300 days old. In his first season Strang’s brilliant overhead marking, in spite of exceptionally wet weather for much of the winter, brought him sixty-eight goals with long drop kicks. In 1932, Strang struggled severely in another rainy winter, but from the time he kicked a goal after the bell to end an eleven match winning streak by Carlton, his brilliant marking asserted itself, most notably in a wonderful display on a dry ground in the second-semi-final.

1933 saw Strang begin to suffer from injuries later in the season. After he had seemingly returned to his best form with ten goals at Arden Street in the thirteenth round, Strang damaged a thigh when playing for the Tigers against the Ballarat League between the fifteenth and sixteenth rounds,[1] and due to knee problems was not at his best when returning for the finals. When the 1934 season opened it was thought Doug Strang would be fully fit,[2] but after one impressive match in the second round against St. Kilda, it was soon discovered that the knee required an operation to repair a slipped disc, and Strang did not play again until the fourteenth round against Carlton. After that, however, the disc incapacitated him once more and he was a passenger on the forward flank by the seventeenth round. These injuries meant Strang left Richmond during 1935. In June 1935, Strang was cleared to Kyneton Football Club where he took over the lease of the Junction Hotel, Kyneton.

Strang was captain / coach of the Kyneton Football Club's 1936 premiership team in Bendigo Football League, [3] before returning to Albury as a hotelier in 1937 and playing in Albury Football Club's 1937 premiership team. [4] after it was thought he would go back to Richmond.

Strang continuing to kick many goals for the Albury Football Club, kicking 126 in 1938 & 117 in 1939. [5] In one game in 1939 he kicked 20 goals against Corowa Football Club. [6][7] and he captain-coached Albury to two premierships in 1939[8] and 1940.[9]

He was the brother of dual Richmond premiership player Gordon Strang, St Kilda footballer Colin Strang, and South Melbourne footballer Allan Strang. He was the father of dual Richmond premiership player Geoff Strang, and the uncle of Richmond premiership player John Perry.

In addition to his footballing ability, Strang was an excellent bowler in country cricket for a number of years. In consecutive weeks in 1936 he six wickets for Kyneton.[10]

Strang died at the age of 41 when he was hit by a car on Dean Street in Albury.[6] [11]

Strang would later make the Albury Football Club's Team of the Century and be inducted into the O&MFL's - Hall of Fame. [12]

The O&MFL goalkicking award is now known as the Doug Strang Medal.

References
  1. ‘Richmond’s Inter-State Achievements’; in The Age, 18 August 1933
  2. ‘D. Strang in Form’; in The Argus, 23 April 1934; p. 12
  3. "1936 - Bendigo FL Grand Final review". Trove Newspapers. The Age Newspaper.
  4. ‘Champion Albury Footballer’; in Albury Banner and Wodonga Express; 11 June 1937
  5. "O&MFL - Century Goal kickers". Ovens & Murray FNL. Ovens & Murray FNL.
  6. ‘Death of Doug Strang’ in Benalla Ensign; 1 April 1954; p. 12
  7. "OTHER MATCHES". Wodonga and Towong Sentinel (Vic. : 1885 - 1954). Vic.: National Library of Australia. 4 August 1939. p. 2. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  8. "FOOTBALL". Border Morning Mail. XXXVI, (10866). New South Wales, Australia. 26 April 1940. p. 6. Retrieved 30 June 2020 – via National Library of Australia.CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  9. "0 & M. PREMIERSHIP WON BY ALBURY". The Corowa Free Press. 129, (6446). New South Wales, Australia. 30 July 1940. p. 4. Retrieved 30 June 2020 – via National Library of Australia.CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  10. "D. Strang as a Cricketer". The Argus (Melbourne) (27, 860). Victoria, Australia. 4 December 1935. p. 10. Retrieved 30 June 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. Jim, Blake. "Tigers mourn death of Doug Strang". Trove Newspapers. The Sporting Globe newspaper.
  12. "Doug Strang - O&MFL - Hall of Fame". O&MFNL. Ovens and Murray Football League.
  • Hogan P: The Tigers Of Old, Richmond FC, Melbourne 1996
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