Greatest AFL nicknames of all time and background on how the nickname came about.

brmi

Club Legend
Aug 16, 2009
1,249
3,481
Melbourne
AFL Club
Western Bulldogs
I know it's not AFL but I believe Sam Pang played football for Prahran back in the day and was known as The Orchid because he needed perfect conditions to blossom.

'Wow' Jones is also a good one. Think I remember reading somewhere there were two possible reasons for the nickname. One being he had a W tattooed on each butt cheek next to his A hole and the other was that he had a massive Schlong, and the first reaction from most when they seen it was Wow.
 
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Yeah, I think you are a bit off. Think Doro was caught in different circumstances as Jo Pearson and Dominator were.....
So the story goes...

Are you suggesting Pearson was the "accumulator" with doro being next in line to the dominator?
 
Rowdy = Gavin Brown
Pants = Darren Millane
"Charlie" = James Manson
"Cement head" = Craig "Ned" Kelly
Scooter = Tony Francis
Neon Leon Davis
Boof = Craig Davis
Cotton = Billy Picken
Monkey = Damien Monkhorst
Jerker = Graham Jenkin
Bubba = Barry Price
Daisy = Dale Thomas
The Macedonian Marvel= Peter Daicos
Leroy = Leigh "the Anvil" Brown
Tuddy = Des Tuddenham
Buttsy = Stan Magro
Rusty = Steele Sidebottom
The Blanket = Michael Gayfer
Flash = Wayne Gordon
Heater = Heath Shaw
"Perfect Pete" = Peter McKenna
Twiggy = Ross Dunne
Thommo = Len Thompson
Racehorse = Ricky Barham
Teaser = Graham Teasdale
Chocco = Mark Williams
"The Weed" = Murray Weideman
Bobby = Bob Rose
Rotten = Ron Andrews
Jimmy = Robert Dean
Billy = Jamie Elliot
Jonno = Ben Johnston
Dids = Alan Didak
"Cho" = Michael Richardson
Banksy = Dennis Banks
Chrisso = Michael Christian
Mores = Shane Morwood

I'll leave it here....I've gotta cook dinner!
Now, you just have to give the background for all those listed
 

Atomboy

Premiership Player
Jan 22, 2007
4,851
6,364
Yes
AFL Club
St Kilda
The nickname didn’t stick but it’s a good yarn about Bob Murphy and Kosi:

“At one point we were standing next to each other and he was mouthing off to a younger player about goalscoring and I said, ‘Kosi, mate, you should be the last bloke who is giving a bit of lip’,” Murphy said.

“He just turned and said, ‘Murph, you’ve got a head the size of a Mintie’.

“A minute later the ball got kicked out and I heard over my shoulder, ‘Someone get Mintie’.”
 
Oct 20, 2004
17,082
20,864
Brisbane
AFL Club
Geelong
Other Teams
Pompey
I know it's not AFL but I believe Sam Pang played football for Prahran back in the day and was known as The Orchard because he needed perfect conditions to blossom.

'Wow' Jones is also a good one. Think I remember reading somewhere there were two possible reasons for the nickname. One being he had a W tattooed on each butt cheek next to his A hole and the other was that he had a massive Schlong, and the first reaction from most when they seen it was Wow.
Orchid, not Orchard :)
 
Feb 26, 2013
525
984
AFL Club
Hawthorn
Louie the Lip basically was the master of this. Wanna be's like Rex Hunt tried to copy with Special Fried Rice and The Cranium but we all knew he was trying to copy the master nickname creator.
Galloping Gasometer almost my favourite by Louie.
Flying Doormat and Lethal Leigh he known for more.
“Delicate” Des Dickson was another ripper by Louie the Lip. He and John Peck formed a very tough, scary fwd line duo in a very rough, tough Hawthorn side in the early-mid 60s.
 
Aug 27, 2014
38,196
41,193
spacetime
AFL Club
Carlton
Other Teams
there are no other teams worthy
“Delicate” Des Dickson was another ripper by Louie the Lip. He and John Peck formed a very tough, scary fwd line duo in a very rough, tough Hawthorn side in the early-mid 60s.
Well before my time but that is a very cool nickname.
Was funny how Louie never settled on one nickname for Peter Bosustow. I remember he called him Mr Magic, Mr Modesty and the Buzz.
For Peter Daicos I remember he called him the Macedonian Marvel. Rod Carter, The Tilt, Rotten Ronnie Andrews, The Flea for Dale Weightman. Scratcher Neal
 

Rusty Brookes

Norm Smith Medallist
Aug 9, 2001
6,702
8,678
Preston
AFL Club
Hawthorn
Other Teams
Hawthorn, Manningham Cobras
I always thought Brendan Whitecross' nickname of Swiss was far too clever for footy but I love it nonetheless.
 

FourthTimeAround

Cancelled
Jun 6, 2022
2,173
2,639
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
Kid in one of my mates U17 team back in the day was called "Who?"

We thought it was because he wasn't very good so he never got the ball much, hence the lines "Who took that mark?" and "Who kicked that goal?"

But it actually started because of his very Greek big nose. And hence from the term Who knows (nose)?

Tried to call his younger brother "Buggered". As in "Buggered if I know". Didn't catch on for obvious reasons, him being Greek and all.
 

FreddyTwoShoes

All Australian
May 1, 2012
931
1,411
Melbourne
AFL Club
Geelong
When l was younger I played cricket with a bloke who everyone called “Lumpy”, not sure why.
He ended up with an illness, l think cancer, and he had the lower part of one of his legs amputated.
After that he was nicknamed “Stumpy”
True story

Ha - I also played cricket with a bloke called "Lumpy". My recollection is that it was because of the state of his body after being hit by the ball more times than actually hitting it with his bat. Most innings.

Didn't lose his leg though.
 

MadMaxx

Club Legend
Sep 11, 2003
1,344
616
Shelbyville
AFL Club
Hawthorn
Other Teams
Seattle Supersonics
It is a bit of an in joke, but me and my mates still refer to Daicos as "Oakes" after the typo in the 1989 footy card set.

Nick and Josh now get Oakes as well.

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TFG is a classic .... just Toby &¥%#£€ Greene says it all
Dylan Addison was nicknamed DFA because of Brad Johnson's jumper presentation to him - Johnno dropping the F bomb about 57 times
 
Not AFL but Stuart MacGill was know as Nancy for a while by teammates, after lyrics from The Beatles song Rocky Raccoon.
Best Stuart MacGill story I heard:

He's doing a cricket clinic for a bunch of kids, mostly 8 year olds. He's saying something along the lines of be the best you can be, always try to improve, never compare yourself to others just work on your own game etc etc

Some kid (clearly a Shane Warne fan) puts his hand up and says "yeah, but you're only trying to be the second best spin bowler in Australia"

Ouch
 

Dean Rioli

Rookie
Nov 1, 2022
27
29
AFL Club
Essendon
I played at Kaniva and there were two sets of brothers playing. The King brothers Rock and Wang and Flash and Notso.
 
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