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.
7. Michael "Disco" Roach
A proud member of the storied lineage of Tasmanian forwards to represent Richmond, "Disco" was a hardly an instant success upon transversing the Bass Strait.
Still, he stuck with it, under Royce Hart's tutelage, and would be rewarded, kicking 112 goals in the Tigers' 1980 premiership season, and 86 in their disappointing title defence - still enough for the inaugural Coleman Medal.
But this list is about hangers, and he took one of the greatest ever in a match against Hawthorn in 1979. It was one of many that now makes for his marking montage, but none of them got close to the brilliance of the 1979 sit.
We'll never know how good "Disco" really could have been, as Richmond cycled through their embarrassment of riches forward of the ball during his tenure. He split reps with Brian Taylor, David Cloke and Mark Jackson at different stages. Roach was team-first, always, often playing different positions to suit the team's needs, while his contemporaries received the plaudits for their goalkicking acumen.
