Ralph Shalless

Ralph Shalless
Ralph Shalless
Personal information
Full name	Ralph Curtis Shalless
Date of birth	28 January 1923
Place of birth	Hobart, Tasmania
Date of death	27 October 2006 (aged 83)
Height	178 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Weight	89 kg (196 lb)
Playing career1
Years	Club
1943, 1946	Melbourne
1948–49	Hawthorn
Total
	1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1949.
	Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Ralph Curtis Shalless (28 January 1923 – 27 October 2006) was a former Australian rules footballer who played with Melbourne and Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League (VFL).^[1]

Shalless played for Melbourne reserves from 1940 and finally made his league senior debut in 1943. He missed the next two seasons due to his service with both the Australian Army^[2] and then the Royal Australian Air Force^[3] during World War II. Shalless was the Melbourne reserves vice-captain in 1946 and made another senior appearance late in the season.^[4]

Shalless captain/coached the Melbourne University Football Club side to the 1947 Sunraysia Football League premiership and also won League's best and fairest award in that year.^[5]

In 1948 Shalless returned to the VFL, this time playing with Hawthorn.

Shalless went on to Morwell in 1950 and won the Central Gippsland Football League Reserves best and fairest in 1951,^[6] 1952 ^[7] and 1953! ^[8]

Notes

^ Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2009). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers: every AFL/VFL player since 1897 (8th ed.). Seaford, Victoria: BAS Publishing. p. 756. ISBN 978-1-921496-00-4.
^ "World War II Roll: SHALLESS, Ralph Curtis (Army)". Department of Veterans Affairs.
^ "World War II Roll: SHALLESS, Ralph Curtis (RAAF)". Department of Veterans Affairs.
^ "NEW LINE AT MELBOURNE". The Argus. No. 31, 110. Victoria, Australia. 17 May 1946. p. 15.
^ "Honour for Melbourne". The Argus. No. 31501. Victoria, Australia. 18 August 1947. p. 18.
^ "1951 - CGFL Awards". Trove Newspapers. Morwell Advertiser (Morwell, Vic). 23 August 1951. p. 6. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
^ "1952 - Football Awards". Trove Newspapers. Morwell Advertiser (Morwell, Vic). 28 August 1952. p. 1. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
^ "1953 - Shalless wins Hartney Award". Trove Newspapers. Morwell Advertiser (Morwell, Vic). 27 August 1953. p. 9. Retrieved 12 January 2021.