When it comes to Australian Rules Football, the number on the back of the jumper has always meant less, while simultaneously meaning more.

Unlike all forms of rugby and the world game, they don't denote any particular position, and unlike the NFL for the longest time, there has never been any restriction on which player could wear which number - except for seniority, of course.

Dissimilar to most American sports, we don't retire our numbers, either, meaning that new generations of stars and spuds alike have the opportunity to eclipse the legacies of champions that came before them.

From the legends in the low-numbered lockers to the also-rans with sixty-something stitched to the backs, here are the players that made the most AFL/VFL appearances in every jumper guernsey number ever seen.

Beware, things get a bit odd once we hit the late 40s.

Back
Next

41-48

41 - Shane Mumford - Geelong/Sydney/GWS - 216 games
42 - Robert Walls - Carlton/Fitzroy - 218 games
43 - Anthony Koutafides - Carlton - 278 games
44 - Corey Enright - Geelong - 332 games
45 - Cameron Ling - Geelong - 246 games
46 - Mark Blicavs - Geelong - 246* games
47 - Alan Jarrott - North Melbourne/Melbourne - 170 games
48 - Mal Michael - Collingwood/Brisbane/Essendon - 61 games

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 07: Robert Walls, former premiership coach for the Carlton Blues, poses with the AFL Premiership Cup in front of the iconic Flinders Street Station during the 2015 AFL Finals Series launch at Federation Square on September 7, 2015 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)
Back
Next

JOIN THE DISCUSSION