Opinion
My series on the 100 greatest nicknames in VFL/AFL history continues with numbers 70 to 61.
AFL top 100: Nicknames 100-91
AFL top 100: Nicknames 90-81
AFL top 100: Nicknames 80-71
70. ‘Slammin’ Sam’
Sam Kekovich was considered by none less than Ron Barassi to have the potential to have been one of the greatest players ever.
Born in Manjimup, Western Australia, to Yugoslav parents, Kekovich was recruited from Myrtleford, Victoria by North Melbourne in 1968.
69. ‘Gracie’
This is one for the generation. In 1937 Gracie Fields was the highest paid (and possibly most famous) movie star in the world.
So it is not surprising that when Warragul recruit Alan Fields started his league career two years later at Fitzroy he was given the nickname ‘Gracie’.
68. ‘The Hitman’
A tough and ruthless champion at Essendon and Brisbane, Roger Merrett was labelled ‘the Hitman’ by radio commentator Derryn Hinch on the eve of the 1983 finals.
In the grand final of that year he was reported twice, but starred in the winning grand finals of the next two years. It was written that he was unnoticed for his first five seasons and unforgettable in the next 14.
67. ‘Plod’
In the days when league footballers combined jobs outside their football careers, Richmond’s Emmett Dunne worked as a policeman.
(Photo by Michael Dodge/AFL Media/Getty Images)
66. ‘Dipper’
This shortened version of Robert DiPierdomenico’s name saved the commentators much embarrassment over his 240 games for the Hawks in which he won a Brownlow Medal and played in five premierships.
65. ‘Woof’
Was this a nickname, or just the sound that Carlton supporters made every time Val Perovic booted the ball after his move to Carlton after seven years at St Kilda?
The war cry was resurrected six years after Perovic’s retirement when the extroverted Angelo (real name Evangelos) Christou joined the Blues but never quite had the same impact.
64. ‘Spinner’
Vin Catoggio had only played two game off the bench before his first full game in the 1973 grand final.
But the youngster with the semi-afro haircut earned the nickname ‘Spinner’ because of his pirouetting and turning ability.
63. ‘Spider’
‘Spider’ Burton played at two clubs (Fremantle and North Melbourne) and earned his nickname because of his great height and long arms made him look like a spider.
He was the tallest man in the league until the arrival of Aaron Sandilands in 2003.
62. ‘Bull’
It seems that if you player profile mentions ‘ruck’, ‘hard-hitting’, ‘big’, ‘fearsome’, ‘strong’ or ‘vigorous’, sooner or later you would end up with the nickname ‘Bull’. A ‘long suspension’ also turned up regularly.
My favourite is Allan ‘Bull’ Richardson, father of Matthew, who after 11 years and one premiership at the Tigers played a few games for South Melbourne.
The first ‘Bull’ was Jim Martin, who played at Carlton in 1902 and came back five years later at Essendon and played in their 1912 premiership team. The next year he moved to Fitzroy and played in their premiership team in 1913.
He was the first player (and still one of only two) who played in premiership sides in successive years at two different clubs.
Garry Baker (Footscray, Melbourne and Sydney) and Arthur Coghlan also answered to ‘Bull’ whereas Lionel Ryan (Footscray) – the grandfather of Ryan O’Keefe – and Jim Sandral (a Melbourne premiership player in his first year) answered to the nicknames ‘Red Bull’ and ‘Little Bull’ respectively.
61. ‘Wee Georgie’
George Bisset was a Bulldogs favourite who took advantage of the ten-year rule in 1973 to switch to Collingwood.
In 1969 Bisset won Footscray’s best and fairest and was runner up to Fitzroy’s Kevin Murray in the Brownlow Medal.
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