AustralianFootball.com Celebrating the history of the great Australian game
Full name
Wallace Sharland
Known as
Wally Sharland
Nickname
Jumbo
Born
11 October 1902
Died
17 September 1967 (aged 64)
Age at first & last AFL game
First game: 17y 294d
Last game: 22y 252d
Height and weight
Height: 191 cm
Weight: 83 kg
Senior clubs
Geelong
Jumper numbers
Geelong: 18, 10, 22
Club | League | Career span | Games | Goals | Avg | Win % | AKI | AHB | AMK | BV |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Geelong | V/AFL | 1920-1925 | 49 | 41 | 0.84 | 47% | — | — | — | 0 |
Total | 1920-1925 | 49 | 41 | 0.84 | 47% | — | — | — | 0 |
AFL: 2,564th player to appear, 4,354th most games played, 2,370th most goals kickedGeelong: 279th player to appear, 342nd most games played, 188th most goals kicked
Known descriptively as 'Jumbo', Geelong's Wally Sharland was recruited locally from Newtown, and made his senior VFL debut in 1920. Although he only managed 49 games in six seasons with the Pivotonians, he was widely considered to be one of the most accomplished ruckman of his day. He had the rare champions' ability of always appearing to have sufficient time to accomplish whatever manoeuvre he chose, and his all round skills were good.
An accurate palmer of the ball, Sharland could also function effectively as a ruck shepherd when required, using both his height (191 cm - tall for the time) and weight (83 kg) to good effect. The high regard in which Sharland was held is shown by his selection to represent the Big V on four occasions during his brief VFL career. Once that career was over he became a noted football writer.
Author - John Devaney