Gates was elected captain of Preston in 1903 after he had only played around a dozen games with the club in 1902.   His election indicates that he must have had a significant career somewhere or other to have been elected captain of a V.F.A. team.    Some obscure notes in papers passed on by Graeme Atkinson refer to a pre-season game in 1903 between the V.J.F.A. and Geelong Districts, with players mentioned as "Stanlake, Gates (captain), J. Knell, R. Knell, and Doull".

Although all five players were with Preston in 1903, the note did not originally make a lot of sense as only Gates and Stanlake had played in the 1902 V.J.F.A. side.

But further research showed that Gates, the Knell brothers (Jack and Richard), and Graham Doull actually represented Geelong Districts in the game.   Claude Stanlake's representation is uncertain, as he played the 1901 season with Chilwell in the Geelong District League before returning to Preston for the start of the 1902 season.

To add further intrigue, the game was umpired by John Grogan, later to become embroiled in major controversies at Preston in 190 5 and 1906.    All five players had appeared in practice matches with the Geelong V.F.L. side before the representative game.

The Knell brothers and Doull were named in the first game for Preston, but remained at Geelong until round four of the V.F.A. season before actually appearing.

After 1903, all the players except Stanlake initially returned to the district competition in Geelong and Doull and Jack Knell later played V.F.L. football with the Geelong senior side.

Gates and Doull initially played with Geelong West, and the Knell brothers with another local side, Wellington.

Dick Knell, who topped Preston's goal-kicking in 1903, moved to Richmond (the leading V.F.A. side of the time) late in 1904, and despite missing a number of games, topped their goal kicking with 44 goals in their 1905 premiership side.

Late in the year, The Richmond Advertiser notes "crack forward, Dick Knell will not be available after September 27 due to the start of the shearing season in N.S.W.".

Knell missed the last game and the first semi-final, but there must have been a change of plans as the report on the semi-final notes "Richmond has been able to arrange for Dick Knell to return from shearing in the Western District".    Return he did, and Knell kicked three goals in their premiership victory over North Melbourne, 9.7 to 5.6.

V.F.A. goal kicking records for those years are not known, but Knell's 44 goals must have left him very close to leading the competition. He represented the V.F.A. during the season against south australia and kicked five goals.

Dick Knell played the first few games with Richmond in 1906, but then disappeared from sight, perhaps again off to an unknown woolshed .   Jack returned to Preston that year and played a handful of games and he is also noted in local Geelong newspapers as having been missing at various times over the years due to shearing commitments.

Early in 1907, Dick and Jack re-appeared in both Preston and Geelong practice matches    Jack's career then disappears from view, but Dick seems to have seen the insides of more dressing rooms than shearing sheds, as he finally was sighted later in the season with West Melbourne in what turned out to be their last season in the V.F.A. competition.

Gates also returned and played a few games with Preston in 1906.   At the time, he is noted simply as "from Geelong".

 His given name is never identified. Possibly William, but definitely before he went off as Bill Gates to discover Microsoft!