Harry Vallence

Harry Vallence
Personal information
Full name	Harry Vallence
Nickname(s)	Soapy
Date of birth	4 June 1905
Date of death	25 July 1991(1991-07-25) (aged 86)
Original team	Bacchus Marsh (BFL)
Height/Weight	183 cm / 80 kg
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 to end of 1938 season .
Career highlights
Carlton premiership player (1938) VFL leading goalkicker 1931 Carlton leading goalkicker 1929, 1931–1933, 1935–1938 Carlton Hall of Fame (1987) Carlton Team of the 20th Century

Harry "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.

VFL Career

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. 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 halfback in the seconds grade. He was lured back to Carlton for the 1938 season, helping to secure the Blues first premiership in 23 years.

Post Carlton

Returning again to Williamstown in 1939, he topped that competitions goalkicking with 133 goals, and helping them to a premiership. In 1940 he kicked 111 goals for Williamstown. He resumed playing in the VFA after World War II, as the captain-coach at Brighton, where he played his last game in 1946 (kicking 11 goals).

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.

He died on 25 July 1991 of Alzheimer's disease in Geelong Hospital.

In 1996 Vallence was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame.

References

• The Australian Encyclopaedia, v.4, Grollier, 1963, p. 140

External links

• Full Points Footy – Soapy Vallence
• Harry Vallence Profile in Blueseum
• AFL: Hall of Fame