Albert Henry Clay (7 May 1915 – 30 April 1972) was an

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

er who played for Fitzroy in the

Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football competition in Australia operated by the Australian Football League (AFL) as a second-tier, regional, semi-professional competition. It includes teams from clubs based in east ...

(VFL). His twin brother Ivor also played with him in the Fitzroy side. In 1939, Bert and his identical twin brother, Ivor trained with North Melbourne under coach,

Keith Forbes Keith MacKenzie Forbes (28 May 1906 – 7 September 1996) was a former Australian rules footballer who played for Coburg in the Victorian Football Association (VFA), and for Essendon, North Melbourne (as captain-coach), and Fitzroy in the Vic ...

, but both missed out on the being selected in the final list and returned to Henty, NSW. Originally from the Hunter Football Club in the Lockington Football Association, Bert was recruited from Henty, where he played in their 1937 premiership and was runner up in the 1938

Albury & District Football League The Albury & District Football League was established at a delegates meeting in Culcairn in 1930 from the following Australian Rules Football clubs – Albury Rovers, Culcairn, Henty and Holbrook and folded after the 1957 football season. History ...

's best and fairest award (lost on a count back) then won the 1939 award. Clay played in Henty's losing 1939 grand final side against

Brocklesby Brocklesby is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the West Lindsey Non-metropolitan district, district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated south of Habrough, south-west of Immingham, it is located close to the borde ...

. Clay played as a ruckman and was instrumental in the club's 1944 Grand Final victory, rated by his opponent

Jack Dyer John Raymond Dyer Sr. OAM (15 November 1913 – 23 August 2003), nicknamed Captain Blood, was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Richmond Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) between 1931 and 1949. One of the ga ...

as the best on ground. Clay retired from VFL football at 36 years of age, after 152 games.

References

External links

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1937 - Albury & DFL Premiers: Henty FC team photo1938 - Action photo of Bert Clay

1939 - Albury & DFL Best & Fairest, Albert Clay photo1950 - football photo of brothers, Bert & Ivor Clay
1915 births 1972 deaths Australian rules footballers from Bendigo Australian Rules footballers: place kick exponents Fitzroy Football Club players Fitzroy Football Club premiership players Australian twins VFL/AFL premiership players 20th-century Australian sportsmen {{AFL-bio-1915-stub