Australian Football

Highly regarded throughout Australia during his world war one-interrupted playing career, Cananore’s Horrie Gorringe was the epitome of the ‘text book’ rover. Quick, elusive and highly skilled, he could dispose of the ball with equal precision using either foot. He was also extremely tough, often taking the field carrying injuries that would have sidelined lesser men. 

Gorringe represented Tasmania in the interstate arena on numerous occasions, including the 1924 and 1927 carnivals. At the Hobart carnival of 1924 he was voted Tasmania’s best player when he more than held his own against the very best the mainland state sides could throw at him. A year earlier he had been one of the best players afield in the TFL’s famous victory over a South Australian combination on the Adelaide Oval. Champion Collingwood goalsneak Gordon Coventry called Gorringe “a super footballer” – rare praise indeed coming from a Victorian – while revered all round sports personality Victor Richardson was another to hold the “nippy rover” in the highest esteem.

When AFL Tasmania announced its Tasmanian ‘Team of the Century’ in 2004, Horrie Gorringe was included in a forward pocket. The following year saw him named as an inaugural icon in Tasmanian Football’s official Hall of Fame.

Author - John Devaney