Alley appeared in 15 of South Melbourne 17 games in the 1902 VFL season.[4] He played just once the following year.[4]
Williamstown (VFA)
He transferred to Williamstown in the VFA in 1905 and played 160 games and kicked 20 goals up until when the First World War intervened in 1915. In 1907, with regular captain Paddy Noonan having stood down, Alley captained Williamstown to an 18-point grand final victory over West Melbourne, in the Victorian Football Association. This gave him the distinction of being Williamstown's first ever premiership captain.[5]
He also served as captain-coach for part of 1911 after Bert Amy resigned and as captain in 1915.
After returning from the War, he went to Hawthorn in the VFA in 1919. In 1920 he was appointed captain-coach, but stood down midway through the season.[8] Alley was still playing football with Mitcham in 1924 at the age of 43.
Military service
Alley, who made his living as an engineer, served overseas with the 3rd Pioneer Battalion during World War I.
^Detail of Organised by Australian Olympic swimmer Lieutenant Frank Beaurepaire, etc., in the collection of the Australian War Memorial (Accession number: H16689).
^ a b"AFL Tables: Ned Alley". afltables.com.
^"Ned Alley – Player Bio". Australian Football. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
^The original newsreel: Australian Football (Pathé Newsreel, 1916) on YouTube
^The 2019 remastered and colourised version of the original newsreel: Australian Football (Pathé Newsreel, 1916), remastered and colourised version (2019) on YouTube
^Gordon, Harry (1990). The Hard Way – Story of the Hawthorn Football Club. ISBN 0-949853-42-9.
^Deaths: Alley, The Argus, (19 July 1949), p.14.
References
Pioneer Exhibition Game Australian Football: in aid of British and French Red Cross Societies: 3rd Australian Division v. Australian Training Units at Queen's Club, West Kensington, on Saturday, October 28th, 1916, at 3pm, Wightman & Co., (London), 1919.
Holmesby, Russell & Main, Jim (2007), The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers, BAS Publishing. ISBN 978-1-920910-78-5.
Richardson, N. (2016), The Game of Their Lives, Pan Macmillan Australia: Sydney. ISBN 978-1-7435-3666-7
First World War Embarkation Roll: Private Edwin John Alley (135), collection of the Australian War Memorial.
First World War Nominal Roll: Private Edwin John Alley (135), collection of the Australian War Memorial.
Private Edwin John Alley (135), National Archives of Australia.