George Denis Pruen Cordner (28 June 1924 – 17 October 1990) was an Australian rules footballer, industrial chemist and diplomat.
[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.
[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.
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.
[14] Cordner died of coronary heart disease on 17 October 1990 at his home in East Kew, and was buried in Point Lonsdale Cemetery.