Denis Cordner: Difference between revisions
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[[File:Melbourne fc 1946.jpg|thumb|University Blacks in 1946 - Cordner is in the back row, 4th from the right]] |
[[File:Melbourne fc 1946.jpg|thumb|University Blacks in 1946 - Cordner is in the back row, 4th from the right]] |
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Cordner switched permanently to the Melbourne Football Club in 1949, and played for the club primarily in the [[Ruck (Australian rules football)|ruck]] for the next eight years. He was particularly noted for his ability in wet weather; after watching Melbourne's win over {{AFL Gee}} in the 1954 Preliminary Final, {{AFL Ric}} ruckman and Brownlow medallist of that season [[Roy Wright (footballer)|Roy Wright]] wrote in |
Cordner switched permanently to the Melbourne Football Club in 1949, and played for the club primarily in the [[Ruck (Australian rules football)|ruck]] for the next eight years. He was particularly noted for his ability in wet weather; after watching Melbourne's win over {{AFL Gee}} in the 1954 Preliminary Final, {{AFL Ric}} ruckman and Brownlow medallist of that season [[Roy Wright (footballer)|Roy Wright]] wrote in ''[[The Herald (Melbourne)|The Herald]]'': |
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| text = He is the greatest wet weather ruckman I have seen. Cordner's a freak. Wet weather is bad news for most big men but not for Cordner. He seems to be able to mark the greasy ball when and how he likes. It is fascinating to watch him mark the wet ball. He gets well up in the air, seems to funnel the ball into his arms and then smothers it onto his chest. Before he retires I will have to persuade him to give me a few lessons in wet weather tactics.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article248339852 |title=Roy Wright somersaults on first tip and picks: FOOTSCRAY FOR TITLE|newspaper=[[The Herald (Melbourne)|The Herald]] |issue=24,123 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=20 September 1954 | |
| text = He is the greatest wet weather ruckman I have seen. Cordner's a freak. Wet weather is bad news for most big men but not for Cordner. He seems to be able to mark the greasy ball when and how he likes. It is fascinating to watch him mark the wet ball. He gets well up in the air, seems to funnel the ball into his arms and then smothers it onto his chest. Before he retires I will have to persuade him to give me a few lessons in wet weather tactics.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article248339852 |title=Roy Wright somersaults on first tip and picks: FOOTSCRAY FOR TITLE|newspaper=[[The Herald (Melbourne)|The Herald]] |issue=24,123 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=20 September 1954 |access-date=5 May 2021 |page=14 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> |
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Cordner went on to play in two more premiership teams for Melbourne, in 1955 and 1956. He retired at the end of the 1956 season, and was notable for having played his entire league as an amateur.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://australianfootball.com/players/player/denis%2Bcordner/7014|title=Denis Cordner| |
Cordner went on to play in two more premiership teams for Melbourne, in 1955 and 1956. He retired at the end of the 1956 season, and was notable for having played his entire league as an amateur.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://australianfootball.com/players/player/denis%2Bcordner/7014|title=Denis Cordner|access-date=25 March 2021|publisher=Australian Football.com}}</ref> |
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Cordner was also a capable [[cricket]]er, known for his bowling. He played 40 [[Victorian Premier Cricket|district cricket]] matches for University between 1946/47 and 1953/54, taking 60 wickets at 23.8.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://premier.cricketvictoria.com.au/files/3/files/leading-all-time-performers/Updates%202019-20/vca%201st%20xi%20career%20records%201889-90%20to%202019-20%20a-c.pdf|title=VCA 1st XI CAREER RECORDS 1889-90 to 2019-20 A-C| |
Cordner was also a capable [[cricket]]er, known for his bowling. He played 40 [[Victorian Premier Cricket|district cricket]] matches for University between 1946/47 and 1953/54, taking 60 wickets at 23.8.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://premier.cricketvictoria.com.au/files/3/files/leading-all-time-performers/Updates%202019-20/vca%201st%20xi%20career%20records%201889-90%20to%202019-20%20a-c.pdf|title=VCA 1st XI CAREER RECORDS 1889-90 to 2019-20 A-C|access-date=25 March 2021|publisher=Cricket Victoria}}</ref> In an intervarsity match at the University Oval in [[Sydney]] in 1949, he took nine wickets (six of those in the second innings) for the match to help Melbourne beat Sydney.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article205353979 |title=Great Bowling by D. Cordner |newspaper=[[The Age]] |issue=29,241 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=14 January 1949 |access-date=17 May 2017 |page=12 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> |
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==Life after football== |
==Life after football== |
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{{1952 'Sporting Life' Team of the Year}} |
{{1952 'Sporting Life' Team of the Year}} |
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{{1955 'Sporting Life' Team of the Year}} |
{{1955 'Sporting Life' Team of the Year}} |
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[[Category:Australian footballers at the 1956 Summer Olympics]] |
[[Category:Australian footballers at the 1956 Summer Olympics]] |
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[[Category:Consuls-General of Australia in New York]] |
[[Category:Consuls-General of Australia in New York]] |
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{{AFL-bio-1920s-stub}} |
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Revision as of 11:28, 14 July 2021
| Denis Cordner | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Date of birth | 28 June 1924 | ||
| Place of birth | Diamond Creek, Victoria | ||
| Date of death | 17 October 1990 (aged 66) | ||
| Place of death | Kew East, Victoria | ||
| Original team(s) | University Blacks (VAFA) | ||
| Debut | Round 5, 1943, Melbourne vs. Richmond, at the MCG | ||
| Height | 191 cm (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Weight | 91 kg (201 lb) | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1943, 1948–56 | Melbourne | 152 (82) | |
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1956. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
| |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
George Denis Pruen Cordner (28 June 1924 – 17 October 1990) was an Australian rules footballer, industrial chemist and diplomat.
Early years
Cordner was the third of four sons to Edward "Ted" Cordner and Margaret Constance née Pruen. Like his father, Cordner and his brothers Ted (1919-1996), Don (1922-2009) and John (1929-2016) were also notable sportsmen. All of them represented Melbourne Grammar School, University Blacks and Melbourne in Australian rules football.[1][2]
Playing career
Cordner made his senior VFL football debut in Round 5 of the 1943 VFL season for Melbourne against Richmond at Punt Road Oval while on leave from the Royal Australian Navy. It would be the only time he lined up with his older brothers Don and Ted. Cordner was flattened five seconds into the match, but recovered and went on to kick two goals in a losing cause.[1]
Following the war, Cordner played in the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA) for the University Blacks while studying a Bachelor of Science, specializing in metallurgy.[3] He was the fifth Cordner to represent the Blacks and provided outstanding service in his three seasons with the club, finishing second in the VAFA A Grade Best and Fairest Award count in 1946 and 1947 before winning it in 1948.[3] That year he was also club premiership captain.[4] At the same time, Cordner was still a registered Melbourne player, and was called up to play his second senior VFL game in the drawn 1948 VFL Grand Final,[5] where he played a sterling high marking game at centre half-back. He played again in the Grand Final Replay and was a Melbourne premiership player in just his third game of senior football.
Cordner switched permanently to the Melbourne Football Club in 1949, and played for the club primarily in the ruck for the next eight years. He was particularly noted for his ability in wet weather; after watching Melbourne's win over Geelong in the 1954 Preliminary Final, Richmond ruckman and Brownlow medallist of that season Roy Wright wrote in The Herald:
He is the greatest wet weather ruckman I have seen. Cordner's a freak. Wet weather is bad news for most big men but not for Cordner. He seems to be able to mark the greasy ball when and how he likes. It is fascinating to watch him mark the wet ball. He gets well up in the air, seems to funnel the ball into his arms and then smothers it onto his chest. Before he retires I will have to persuade him to give me a few lessons in wet weather tactics.[6]
Cordner went on to play in two more premiership teams for Melbourne, in 1955 and 1956. He retired at the end of the 1956 season, and was notable for having played his entire league as an amateur.[7]
Cordner was also a capable cricketer, known for his bowling. He played 40 district cricket matches for University between 1946/47 and 1953/54, taking 60 wickets at 23.8.[8] In an intervarsity match at the University Oval in Sydney in 1949, he took nine wickets (six of those in the second innings) for the match to help Melbourne beat Sydney.[9]
Life after football
In September 1981, Cordner was appointed Australian Consul-General in New York.[10] He took up the post in March 1982.[11] Cordner's wife Pat was mugged on her first day out in New York city.[12] In March 1984, Cordner was asked to return to Australia within three months.[13]
On returning to Australia, Cordner served in a number of leadership positions. He became a chairman of John Holland Constructions, chairman of Australian Motor Industries and a director of the Australian branch of British Petroleum and Plessey Pacific.[14]
Cordner died of coronary heart disease on 17 October 1990 at his home in East Kew, and was buried in Point Lonsdale Cemetery. He was survived by his wife and two daughters[11]
He was posthumously named in the Melbourne's "Team of the Century" in 2000 as the starting ruckman.
See also
References
- ^ a b "THAT AMAZING CORDNER FAMILY". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 33, 093. Victoria, Australia. 26 September 1952. p. 4 (The Argus Magazine). Retrieved 17 May 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Allen, David, "Dynasty: The Cordner Family", The Yorker, (Spring 2019), pp.26-31.
- ^ a b "University Football Club: Biographies" (PDF). p. 19.
- ^ "Another Cordner is 'tops'". Weekly Times. 1 September 1948. p. 28.
- ^ Daffey, Paul (2 October 2010). "Drama of 1948 had everything". The Age.
- ^ "Roy Wright somersaults on first tip and picks: FOOTSCRAY FOR TITLE". The Herald. No. 24, 123. Victoria, Australia. 20 September 1954. p. 14. Retrieved 5 May 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Denis Cordner". Australian Football.com. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
- ^ "VCA 1st XI CAREER RECORDS 1889-90 to 2019-20 A-C" (PDF). Cricket Victoria. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
- ^ "Great Bowling by D. Cordner". The Age. No. 29, 241. Victoria, Australia. 14 January 1949. p. 12. Retrieved 17 May 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "New consul". The Canberra Times. ACT. 17 September 1981. p. 6.
- ^ a b Hibbins, Gillian M., "Cordner, George Denis Pruen (1924–1990)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Australian National University, archived from the original on 27 February 2016
- ^ "Australia's Consul-General... at home in the Big Apple", The Australian Women's Weekly, p. 42, 24 November 1982
- ^ "Envoy in New York asked to return". The Canberra Times. ACT. 21 March 1984. p. 3.
- ^ Hutchinson (2008), p. 50
Bibliography
- Hutchinson, Garrie (2008). Heroes : 150 players, 150 years : Melbourne Football Club. Prahran, Victoria: Hardie Grant Books. ISBN 9781740666152.
External links
- Denis Cordner's playing statistics from AFL Tables
- Denis Cordner at AustralianFootball.com
- "Some Inspirational People" Profiled by Laurence MacDonald Muir.
- Profile at the Australian Dictionary of Biography
- 1924 births
- 1990 deaths
- Melbourne Football Club players
- Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Trophy winners
- Melbourne Football Club captains
- University Blacks Football Club players
- Australian rules footballers from Victoria (Australia)
- Australian footballers at the 1956 Summer Olympics
- Consuls-General of Australia in New York