Roy Laing

{{Short description|Australian rules footballer}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}}

{{Use Australian English|date=January 2016}}

{{Infobox AFL biography

| name = Roy Laing

| image =

| fullname = William Roy Laing

| birth_date = 4 April 1893

| birth_place = Murtoa, Victoria

| death_date = {{death date and age|1972|4|11|1893|4|4|df=yes}}

| death_place = Glen Iris, Victoria

| originalteam = Beverley Juniors

| height = 170 cm

| weight = 80 kg

| position =

| statsend = 1925

| years1 = 1913–15, 1918–25

| club1 = Essendon

| games_goals1 = 131 (3)

| careerhighlights =

}}

William Roy Laing (4 April 1893 – 11 April 1972){{cite web|url=https://www.essendonfc.com.au/our-club/history/past-player-profiles/past-player-profiles-l|title=Past Player Profiles – L (Laing, Roy W)|publisher=essendonfc.com.au|accessdate=3 September 2014}} was an Australian rules footballer who played for Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL) before and after the First World War.

Laing, originally from Western Australia, was recruited to Essendon from the Beverley Juniors in Richmond. A half back flanker, he was a member of Essendon's back to back premiership teams in 1923 and 1924. He represented the Victorian interstate side five times, one of them as captain against South Australia in 1921. Laing was considered to be likely to move to the Hawthorn Football Club when they entered the league in 1925,{{cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/140769252?searchTerm=League%20Football%20%E2%80%93%20Three%20New%20Clubs|title=Three New Clubs|work=The Australasian|date=31 January 1925|accessdate=April 4, 2021}} but this did not occur. In 1937 and 1938, Laing was non playing coach of Camberwell.{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11047019 |title=Football Essendon's Bid for Second. |newspaper=The Argus |location=Melbourne |date=5 March 1937 |accessdate=17 March 2015 |page=14 |via=National Library of Australia}}{{cite book|last=Fiddian|first=Marc|title=The VFA – A History of the Victorian Football Association 1877 – 1995|year=2013|publisher=Melbourne Sports Books|page=147}}