MANN, Lance

Lance Mann was a solidly built player from Albury in New South Wales where he started in 1948. Prior to that he had played at Walwa.

Mann was a strong kick but his chief attribute was pace, and he began his career with Essendon on the wing.

He won Essendon's Best Utility Player award in 1953, and had played 55 games for Essendon by the end of 1954, but was troubled by knee injuries so he returned to play with Albury from 1955 to 1957. He played so well that he won the award for Best and Fairest in the Ovens and Murray League in 1956.

Mann was invited back to Essendon in 1958, and, although he had lost a bit of pace, he became a tough back pocket player.

Mann remained with Essendon as coach of the Seconds in 1960 and 1961 before giving football away. He later became chairman of selectors at Lavington in New South Wales from 1977 to 1979.

He won a number of important races during his professional running career, including the Bendigo 1000 and the Stawell Gift double in 1952. He was Essendon's third Stawell Gift winner. His team-mate Norm McDonald was runner-up the same year.