One of the issues involved in sorting through the plethora of nicknames was the actual definition to use.
Was ‘Nicky’ a nickname for Neil Elvis Winmar, the given name of the Indigenous footballer who showed his pride in his race by baring his chest in a famous incident at Victoria Park?
If so, then the name ‘Sean’ used by Irish football import John Phillip Wight should also be considered a nickname.
Neither were included in the list. We continue:
90: “Clark Kent”. A slightly different approach to the super heroes that are doted throughout the Top 100 list. John Worsfold’s teammates reckon he was a different persona from the quietly spoken bespectacled pharmacist who turned up at the game once he crossed the white line! Worsfold was better known by the punters as “Whoosa”.
89: “Carji”. The nickname “Carji” was given to Edward Greeves Jnr while he was still in his cot. Golfer Michael Scott saw the olive skinned baby and decided that he looked like the locally famous entertainer Carjilo, the Prince of Bong. Not only did Greeves become famous for winning the first Brownlow Medal, but he ran second three times and fourth once. He also played in two premiership sides.
88. “Leeter”. Another Brownlow Medallist who received his popular moniker at a young age. Albert Collier was only 15 months old when an Italian neighbour mangled the word “little” so much that it came out sounding like “leeter”. Collier won three Best and Fairest at Collingwood and played in six premierships.
87. “Bones”. John O’Mahoney was an instant star at Hawthorn in the 1950’s but suffered a punctured lung in 1957 and missed Hawthorn’s first ever finals appearance. Grandfather of ex-Collingwood player Jarrad Blair.
86. “Kapil”. Andrew Demetriou’s high profile in executive positions in the footballing world plus his football career of over 100 games at North Melbourne meant he was a monty to receive a nickname, and his Zapata moustache during this time gave him a resemblance to the great Indian fast bowler, Kapil Dev.
85. “Moose”. Wayne Henwood had five reasonably good years at Sydney, but a move to the Demons in 1992 just didn’t work for the ex-Glenelg player.
84. “Coconut”. The high profile of Brownlow Medallists must contribute to their nicknames being prominent on my list. St Kilda’s Neil Roberts won the medal in 1958. He played 169 games for the Saints and worked in Antarctica as an administrator. Roberts was the first Saint to gain All Australian status.
83. “The Dominator” who played a leading role in Carlton’s premierships in 1979, 1981, 1982 and 1987 played 208 games for the Blues and kicked 283 goals. He won the Best and Fairest in 1983 and shared it with Craig Bradley in 1986.
82. “The Ghost”. One of the enduring characters of the Richmond Football Club was Jim Jess. Recruited from St Arnaud after he had started at Avoca, Jess slotted into the Tigers line up and could play either Centre Half Back or Centre Half Forward.A character and practical joker. Jess was loved by Tiger fans and booed by opposition.
*81. “Fish”. At 205cm, Paul Salmon was one of the tallest players from 1983 until his final retirement in 2002, and his achievement of 334 games and 561 goals still has him ranked in the Top 50 of all-time in the AFL Top 100 game players and goal scorers nearly 20 years later.
“Fish” gave great service to both Essendon and Hawthorn, making a comeback at the Bombers in 2002.
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