Alex Lang

Who was Alex Lang?

Alex 'Bongo' Lang was an Australian rules footballer who played with the Carlton Football Club in the Victorian Football League. Despite being a three-time premiership player, Lang will be remembered by history as the joint record holder for the longest ban received from the tribunal.

Recruited by coach Jack Worrall in 1905, Lang debuted for Carlton in the opening round of the following season. He played as a rover, winning premierships in his first three years at the club and in 1909 was voted by The Australasian newspaper as the most 'Outstanding player in the VFL'.

During the 1910 final series he became involved in a match fixing scandal after being dropped from the side for their 2nd semi final against South Melbourne. It had been alleged that he had accepted a bribe to play poorly, along with teammates Doug Gillespie and Doug Fraser. Both Carlton and the VFL launched their own investigations and Lang admitted that an offer had been made to him. He claimed however that he did not intend on accepting it. Regardless of his plea of innocence he was found guilty along with Fraser and both were banned for 99 games, a total of five years.