Harry Vallence
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| Harry Vallence | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Henry Francis Vallence | ||
| Nickname(s) | Soapy | ||
| Date of birth | 4 June 1905 | ||
| Place of birth | Bacchus Marsh, Victoria | ||
| Date of death | 25 July 1991 (aged 86) | ||
| Original team(s) | Bacchus Marsh (BFL) | ||
| Height | 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Weight | 80 kg (176 lb) | ||
| Position(s) | Full forward | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1926–1938 | Carlton | 204 (722) | |
| Representative team honours | |||
| Years | Team | Games (Goals) | |
| Victoria | 4 (17) | ||
| 1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1938. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
| |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Henry Francis "Soapy" Vallence (4 June 1905 – 25 July 1991) was a champion Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and the Victorian Football Association (VFA). He played at full-forward for the VFL's Carlton Football Club in the 1930s, and in the 1940s for the VFA's Williamstown and Brighton Football Clubs.
Family
[edit]The son of Michael Vallence and Mary Ann Vallence, née Pattinson,[1] Henry Francis Vallence was born in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria, on 4 June 1905.
He married Lorna Josephine Bliss (1915–1996) on 17 June 1940.[2]
Football
[edit]Carlton (VFL)
[edit]Originally from Bacchus Marsh, in 1926 he came to Carlton as a half-forward. He soon moved to full-forward, where he became known for his safe hands and mighty kick. He kicked 11 goals in a match on four occasions—twice in finals.
Williamstown (VFA)
[edit]In 1937, he left Carlton to play with Williamstown Football Club in the Victorian Football Association as captain-coach. His dispute with Carlton arising when he returned from representing Victoria in an interstate match to find himself selected at centre half-back in the seconds' grade.
Carlton (VFL)
[edit]He was lured back to Carlton for the 1938 season, helping to secure the Blues' first premiership in 23 years.
Williamstown (VFA)
[edit]Vallence returned again to Williamstown in 1939, this time playing under the Association's throw-pass rules adopted in 1938. In 1939, Vallence kicked 133 goals and helped Williamstown to a premiership, and he kicked another 111 goals in 1940. On 24 May 1941, Vallence achieved two significant milestones: he kicked a career-high twenty goals against Sandringham and brought up his 1000th career goal across both the League and Association.[3] His career with Williamstown ended after 1941, when the competition went into recess during World War II.
Carlton (VFL)
[edit]He was captain-coach of the Carlton Reserves for three seasons (1942–1944).[4]
Brighton (VFA)
[edit]Vallence resumed playing after World War II as the captain-coach at Brighton, where he played his last game in 1946 (kicking 11 goals).[5][6]
Vallence played 204 games and kicked 722 goals for Carlton in his career; the latter was a club record until broken by Stephen Kernahan in 1997. He scored a further 337 goals for Williamstown, 88 for Brighton, and 19 in representative games for Victoria, for a career total of 1166 goals.
Death
[edit]He died on 25 July 1991 of Alzheimer's disease in Geelong Hospital.
Recognition
[edit]In 1996, Vallence was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame.
Footnotes
[edit]- ^ Myrniong, The Bacchus Marsh Express, (Saturday, 17 November 1900), p.3.
- ^ Brides To Say "I Will", The Williamstown Chronicle, (Saturday, 15 June 1940), p.2.
- ^ "Twenty goals to Vallence". Williamstown Chronicle. Williamstown, VIC. 30 May 1941. pp. 1, 10.
- ^ Carlton Makes a "Raid", The Williamstown Chronicle, (Friday, 7 August 1942), p.2.
- ^ Ross, John (1999). The Australian Football Hall of Fame. Australia: HarperCollinsPublishers. p. 131. ISBN 0-7322-6426-X.
- ^ Devaney, J., Biographies T-U-V Archived 7 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved 30 October 2010.
References
[edit]- The Australian Encyclopaedia, v.4, Grollier, 1963, p. 140
- Soapy has them roaring again, The Argus, (Tuesday, 16 August 1955), p.18.
External links
[edit]- Harry Vallence at AustralianFootball.com
- Harry Vallence Profile in Blueseum
- Harry Vallence, at Boyles Football Photos.
- Harry 'Soapy' Vallence, at The VFA Project.
- AFL: Hall of Fame
