The 10 best redheads in AFL history: This might cheer Voss up

Aussie rules takes all types. Here’s a look at 10 of the very best gingers to play the sport.

WRITER | April 4, 2026 - 7:46am

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Redheads get a rough go of things in this country. Bullied in the schoolyard, the butt of jokes in pubs, and all for something they cannae control.

It's time they get some love.

I've taken a look at some of the very best bloodnuts to play our great game, and had a crack at ranking them.

Honourable Mentions: Lance Whitnall, Robert 'Scratcher' Neal, Nick Vlastuin

Two cult figures of their respective clubs, Whitnall and Neal occupy places in the hearts of Blues and Cats fans across the country.

"Big Red" Whitnall overcame multiple weight and injury concerns in his career to finish with a fine CV. Whitnall was an All-Australian, three-time Blues' leading goalkicker, club captain and a best and fairest winner, all inside a career that was cut short at just 28 years of age.

How it took the full faculty to school Carlton's core — MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 21: Setanta O'Hailpin #17, Lance Whitnall #8 and Anthony Koutoufides #43 for the Blues leave the ground dejected after losing the round four AFL match between the Carlton Blues and the Hawthorn Hawks at the Telstra Dome April 21, 2006 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mark Dadswell/Getty Images)

A fixture of the Geelong Cats in the '70s and '80s, Neal sported a red bowl cut while holding shape on a wing. A member of the Tasmanian Football Hall of Fame, Neal could more than hold his own, finishing inside the top 10 in the 1976 Brownlow Medal count, tied with arguably the league's best ever player, 'Lethal' Leigh Matthews.

Richmond's resident redhead Nick Vlastuin is a three-time premiership star. A backman often overlooked in conversations about the league's best, it is perhaps fitting that his importance has only been truly recognised in the lean period that has followed the Tiger's breathtaking recent dynasty. The man the faithful call 'Tigger' has been an exceptional clubman for Richmond, and was granted life membership in 2017.

8Adam Cooney

Cooney reveals 2009 bust up with Ross Lyon

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 26: Brownlow medallist Adam Cooney of the Bulldogs waves to fans during the 2008 AFL Grand Final parade held at the Treasury Building September 26, 2008 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mark Dadswell/Getty Images)

One of a few Brownlow Medallists on this list, Cooney's brilliance is often a victim of his self-deprecating nature in the media, and general larrikinism. Make no mistake, Adam Cooney was a problem.

Cooney was a true ball magnet in an era populated by them. A prolific, goal-scoring piece of those Rodney Eade-coached Dogs sides that were serial bridesmaids, along with the Adelaide Crows, in a time dominated by Hawthorn, Geelong, St Kilda and Collingwood.

Cooney played 250 games in the AFL, with his final season coming as one of Essendon's 'top-up' players in the wake of their infamous doping scandal. A bloke you'd love to share a beer and spin a yarn with, is Cooney.