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

49-56 

49 - Brian Cordy - Footscray - 124 games
50 - Ben Brown - North Melbourne/Melbourne - 169* games
51 - Michael McLean - Footscray/Brisbane Bears/Brisbane Lions - 95 games
52 - Shaun Rehn - Adelaide/Hawthorn - 167 games
53 - Barry Young - Richmond/Essendon/Hawthorn - 27 games
54 - Ross Smith - North Melbourne - 19 games
55 - Ross Wright - Essendon - 9 games
56 - Leon Harris - Fitzroy - 20 games

Ben Brown during the 2022 AFL Round 1 match between Melbourne and Western Bulldogs (Photo by Cameron Grimes / Zero Digital Media)
Back
Next

JOIN THE DISCUSSION