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White Ferns LIVE on SN ExtraKane's Countdown: The Top 10 nicknames in the AFL
SEN • March 5th, 2026 9:01 am
Are nicknames dying in the sporting world?
The short form names of yesteryear brought life to the game, with several top players owning some top quality titles that anchored their careers and held them all the more memorable.
However, as brought up by popular US sports podcaster Bill Simmons, who questioned: “What happened to basketball nicknames?” via The Bill Simmons Podcast.
SEN's Kane Cornes concured with Simmons, likening the lost art of nicknames to the current state of the AFL.
“I feel like nicknames are becoming extinct,” Cornes told SEN's Locked In.
“Nicknames are not as common. Harley Reid should have a nickname by now. We just call him Harley!
“Nasiah should have a nickname! (Nick) Daicos should have a nickname – these big gun superstar players should have nicknames. What has happened to them?”
Sam Edmund added: “We had Captain Blood (Jack Dyer), The Flea (Dale Weightman), Lethal (Leigh Matthews), Michael ‘The Whale’ Roberts… we had belting good nicknames!”
Cornes: “Firstly, bring it back. ‘The Duck’ (Wayne Carey)…”
Edmund: “The Flying Doormat (Bruce Doull)!”
Cornes: “Let’s celebrate the ones that we have.”
With that in mind, Cornes has listed the top 10 current nicknames in footy!
See Kane's list below:
10. Flyin' Ryan
Liam Ryan, St Kilda
“It is a good nickname. It’s good.”
9. The Package
Jake Stringer, GWS
“BT is definitely claiming this one. The thing about a good nickname is it sticks – this one stuck.”
8. The Wizard
Nick Watson, Hawthorn
“I love The Wizard, but he loses a couple of points because the nickname has been there before.
“Jeff Farmer has been The Wizard. If you’re the second coming, it’s not as strong.”
Edmund: “Warwick Capper was The Wizard as well!”
7. The Astronaut
Aaron Naughton, Western Bulldogs
“My man. Very clever.”
6. The Big Cohuna
Josh Treacy, Fremantle
“I’m not sure who came up with that, but that is good.
“That’s the town he’s from, Cohuna.”
5. Sheezey-ball
Harry Sheezel, North Melbourne
“This is a bit self-indulgent. My word it has caught on!”
Edmund: “You can’t have a nickname in the top 10 if you’re the only one that uses it!”
4. Souv-Larkey
Nick Larkey, North Melbourne
“Good nickname. That would have been one of his teammates that came up with that.”
3. The Chols Royce
Mabior Chol, Hawthorn
“My other man. That is a great nickname.”
2. The Thill-seeker
Riley Thilthorpe, Adelaide
“It’s not the Thrill Seeker, you idiots! It’s The Thill-seeker! It’s Thilthorpe.”
1. The Lizard
Nick Blakey, Sydney
“I don’t know who came up with the best nickname in football.”
Edmund: “That’s gold.”
