The 10 best nicknames of local footy clubs

by PAUL DAFFEY

1. Congupna, the Road

Early last century, in the paddocks just north of Shepparton, a curiosity developed when the settlement in the region of Congupna Road outgrew the nearby township of Congupna, which soon died off. When a football club was formed, it was named the Congupna Road Football Club. In 1963, the word "Road" was officially dropped from the town of Congupna Road, meaning there was once more a town simply called Congupna, but the football club took a year to catch up. While it won a premiership in 1963 as the Congupna Road Football Club, a year later it won as Congupna. Memories of "the Road" were maintained by adopting it as the club's nickname. Almost forty years later, Congupna players and supporters continue to yell out, "Carn the Road", or "Carn the Roaders", which has a nice ring to it. It's certainly better than mimicking an AFL nickname, as too many local footy clubs do.

2. Yarrawonga, the Pigeons

Several Victorian football clubs should be commended for adopting unlikely birds as their nickname, most notably Leongatha, the South Gippsland club that wears magnificently outdated guernseys'green with a gold "V" - and calls itself the Parrots. Of all the whacky-bird clubs, however, I'm fondest of Yarrawonga's nickname, the Pigeons, because I like a story about two of the club's favourite sons, present Hawthorn teammates Ben Dixon and Joel Smith. In 1989, Dixon and Smith were 12-year-olds from Yarrawonga whose excitement at the town's football club getting through to the Ovens and Murray league grand final prompted them to go to a silo and trap a few pigeons in a sack. As the players ran out on the ground for the game against Wodonga, Dixon and Smith released the pigeons and yelled for their heroes. Suitably inspired, Yarrawonga won a rare premiership.

3. Ulverstone, the Robins

In Tasmania, clubs that wear Essendon's black with a red sash have traditionally called themselves the Robins. Ulverstone, a club on the north-west coast, has been the most noteworthy club to maintain the tradition; smaller clubs such as Currie, Sheffield and Yeoman have also continued to do so. North Launceston, however, has prompted outrage by changing its name to the Northern Bombers and letting the Robins nickname slide. It seems a shame. Only when the Western Bulldogs revert to being Footscray will this farce of using directions and nicknames, rather than place names, come to an overdue halt.

4. Golden Point, the Rice-Eaters

In another affront to traditionalists, the decision a few years ago by Golden Point and East Ballarat, co-tenants at Ballarat's Eastern Oval, to combine forces and become East Point was a sad day for country football. For what it's worth, I believe the city of Ballarat, as one of the fastest growing in country Australia, should be able to maintain both clubs. But the saddest thing about the merger has been the demise of Golden Points' traditional nickname, the Rice-Easters. The club was founded in the 19th century in an area of inner Ballarat that hosted many Chinese miners. The Chinese ate rice, hence the nickname. I like the link with Ballarat's golden history.

5. Tyabb, the Yabbies

For those who resent AFL incursions into nickname territory, give praise to Tyabb, a club on the Mornington Peninsula. One reason for the club's nickname is that the last four letters of "Tyabb" comprise the starting point for the word "yabby". The second reason is that that in the late 1960s the club's ground, Bunguyan Reserve, was so pock-marked with yabby holes that opposition clubs began referring to the club as the Yabbies. In the early 1980s, Tyabb's committee succeeded in having the nickname overturned to the Lions, but with players and supporters continuing to call out, "Carn the Yabbies", it lasted only a couple of seasons before the old nickname was officially reinstated.

6. Henty, the Swampies

Riverina club Henty was known as the Swans until 1980, when it entered the Hume league and found that Burrumbuttock already was called the Swans. The Henty committee looked at the Doodle Cooma Swamp on the edge of town (doodle cooma means "sweet water" in the local Aboriginal dialect) and decided on the nickname the Swampies, which seems an inspired choice. The twist in the story is that the Swampies continue to wear the traditional Swans guersney-white with a red "V"-while Burrumbuttock wears red with a white "V".

7. Blighty, the Redeyes

Another Riverina club, Blighty, calls itself the Redeyes-and no one has a clue why. A few years ago, I spent a day at the footy at Blighty and explanations for the nickname varied from premiership celebrations producing bloodshot eyes to the fact that the club wears red guernseys. References to the guernsey, which is red with a white "BFC" monogram, sound the most feasible. Oddly enough, on the day that I saw Blighty, it was playing Katunga, which wears white guernseys with a red "V" and calls itself (drum roll, please) the Swans. About 20 years ago, Mathoura, a Picola and District league opponent of Blighty and Katunga, changed its name from the Demons to the Timbercutters for the good reason that many players were employed to cut down trees.

8. Stawell Swifts, the Baggies

In a shocking case of double-dipping, the club's official name is the Stawell Swifts Football Club, but its nickname is the Baggies, which was coined in the 1920s when its players were renowned for their baggy shorts. In recent years, as footy shorts have become fuller, players and younger supporters have referred to the club as "the Swifts", while older supporters have continued barracking for "the Baggies". It's a confusing club.

9. North Coburg, the Saints

It's not only country clubs that have curious nicknames. When I was a junior player at Essendon club St Bernard's (whose subtle and surprising nickname is "the Bernards"), we played a club from North Coburg called St Oliver's. The club was derived from a church that, in its full, rampantly Catholic form, was known as the church of Blessed Oliver Plunkett. The football club took the acronym from the church and coined the nickname "the BOPs", which was catchy and distinctive. The club wore green guernseys with a red yoke, which was also distinctive. In 1998, for reasons that escape me, the club changed its name to the North Coburg Saints. Instead of wearing St Kilda guernseys, as might be expected of a club taking the Saints nickname, it took to wearing the red, green and purple of Fremantle, replete with a big white anchor, a symbol never previously linked with Melbourne's northern suburbs. To no one's surprise, the Saints are anchored near the bottom of the ladder in the Essendon District league's second division.

10. North Old Boys, the Griffins

After entering the Victorian Amateur Football Association in 1963, North Old Boys, the club for former students of St Joseph's College, North Melbourne, was known by its acronym, "NOBs". Before the 1975 season, club founder John Adams decided a nickname was necessary and plumped for "the Griffins". In Greek mythology, griffins are heroic symbols, known for their speed, strength and courage. An image of a griffin - which has the head and wings of an eagle, and the body of a lion-was duly sown on the club's purple guernseys. While most players and supporters have continued to refer to the club as NOBs, the griffin symbol is seen on every club guernsey. Symbolism and mythology are important at football clubs, especially if the reference is to speed, strength and courage.

This article first appeared in The Sunday Age on May 8, 2005.

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