They become the stuff of schoolyard legend. Theirs are the numbers adorning the backs of the fawning faithful. The true rockstars of our great game.
The high flyers.
It's part of the fabric of the code, is the hanger. There's nothing quite like the roar of a crowd when one of the men in the arena sits on the shoulders of another, and with velcro-like hands, plucks the Sherrin from the skies.
Take a look at some of those who have forged a reputation for themselves as artists among the clouds.
2. Gary Ablett Snr.
You've got to be a pretty special player for the general public to nickname you "God".
You've got to be a REALLY special player for no one to bat an eye when that happens.
That's how good the original Gary Ablett was. He curated a sublime showreel of instinctual marks and goals across 248 career games - 242 of which were spent in Geelong's hoops.
One of just six players in the illustrious 1000 career goals club, Ablett was one of the game's best forwards for almost his whole career, notching 120+ goals for three consecutive seasons in the mid-1990s. The marks he took to put himself in these scoring positions were just as special as the finishes themselves.
Geelong's Mark of the Century winner, twice the Mark of the Year winner, a best and fairest, three Coleman Medals, a Norm Smith Medal, a nod in the AFL's Team of the Century, and an enduring legacy. "Yablett", as he was known by legendary caller Rex Hunt, was a one of kind footballer, but he'll have to settle for silver in this ranking.
