We all love AFL and the sport of Australian Rules footy, so it is no surprise that many names who are more known in other walks of life have had their shot at making it.
It might be hard to imagine, but Dustin Martin and Eddie McGuire have both played the same sport, albeit the former making it to the pinnacle and the other reaching the stratosphere of what a fan could reach.
Many have played this great sport, and here are nine who did so, before or while achieving fame elsewhere.
Lindsay Fox
The chairman and founder of logistics and trucking company Linfox had a brief run in the VFL from 1959 to 1961.
Fox was the captain of St Kilda's thirds side and was recruited for their VFL side. Before joining, he spent some time in the Ballarat Football League, playing for the Golden Point Football Club.
The ruckman would make his senior debut in 1960, playing 20 games and kicking three goals.
Following his VFL stint, he joined the VFA, playing for Moorabbin and Brighton-Caulfield, winning a premiership with the former.
Fox returned to the Saints, this time off-field, serving as the club's president between 1979-1985, in an era of struggle both on and off the field, with debt and bottom three finishes in each of those seasons.
Ryan Fitzgerald
Well known radio and television personality Ryan 'Fitzy' Fitzgerald was once a promising AFL player.
Drafted by Sydney in 1998 with Pick 4, Fitzgerald showed that the club had high hopes for the tall forward. However, Fitzy didn't debut until 2000 due to a shoulder injury.
On debut, he kicked five goals and looked to be set for a successful career, but in 2001 heย injured his knee, requiring a reconstruction.
While AFL didn't work out as planned, Fitzy has paved himself a career in radio and TV.
The former Big Brother contestant has continued to be involved with the game, appearing on AFL-related television shows Before the Game and The Front Bar.
Shane Warne
Arguably one of the greatest cricketers of all time, Shane Warne also played Aussie rules in his youth.
Had he had it his way, perhaps Warne would have played wore the black, red and white of his beloved St Kilda, rather than the baggy green.
He once booted seven goals while playing for St Kilda's U19s.@ShaneWarne bleeds red, white and black ๐ดโช๏ธโซ๏ธ pic.twitter.com/cOSm6iHeby
— St Kilda FC (@stkildafc) December 26, 2018
But his dreams of making it at senior level were dashed when he received a letter from his club that he was no longer needed.
During the cricket off-season in 1987, Warne played five games for the Saints' under 19s team. After kicking seven goals in a game, he was called up to the reserves team, playing a single game against Carlton.
Had history told a different tale with Warne not being delisted, we may not have come to meet Shane Warne, the cricket legend.
Colin Ridgway
The first Australian to play in the NFL found himself competing in many sports, including Australian Rules.
Ridgway first played for Carlton's under 19s and reserves side in 1955, before competing in the Summer Olympics the following year in high jump.
He continued his athletic career, competing in the 1958 Commonwealth Games, and in 1961 he became the first Commonwealth athlete to clear a seven-foot high jump.
The Melbournian accepted a scholarship for track and field at Lamar Tech (now University) in Texas, USA.
May 13th: On this day in 1993....The late Cowboys punter #88 Colin Ridgway (1965) was found murdered in his University Park, TX home. He was only 56. Ridgway was signed by the Cowboys as a undrafted free agent and was the first Australian in the NFL. #60sCowboys #FirstCowboys pic.twitter.com/dtinaCrPmJ
— Dallas Cowboys Old School (@CowboysOld) May 15, 2021
The punter's NFL career was short-lived, only playing three games for the Dallas Cowboys in 1965.
His punting style did not translate well to the NFL, as he would do so in the manner matching that seen in Australian footy at the time, a running drop-kick.
Sadly, Ridgway was murdered in 1993, a case still unsolved to this day.
Sam Pangย
Well before making a name for himself on radio and TVย for SBS, NOVA 100 and 10 Network, Sam Pang played footy.
While Pang didn't make it to AFL level like fellow comedian, radio and TV presenter Fitzgerald, he still played for a side competing in the league.
Pang in fact played under 19's for Collingwood in 1991, before playing country football in regional Victoria and Tasmania.
While a career in AFL didn't eventuate, he still found his way to the game, co-hosting AFL talk show The Front Bar, and even played an EJ Whitten's Legend Game alongside radio co-host and Brisbane great Jonathan Brown.
Vance Joyย
Yes, the singer of the hit song "Riptide" was once a promising Aussie rules footballer.
Prior to his music career, James Gabriel Keogh (known professionally as Vance Joy), played for VFL side Coburg (now Coburg Football Club) in 2008 and 2009.
The key defender won the award for best first-year player in his first season.
When it came time to choose between football or music, he chose the latter, citing that he had reached his potential and couldn't see himself making it professionally.
The ARIA Music Award-winning artist perhaps made the correct decision, having paved himself quite the successful music career.
Travis Fimmelย
Known for his lead role as Ragnar Lothbrok in the TV series Vikings, Travis Fimmel was once signed by St Kilda before a broken leg ruined any hope of making it.
Fimmel moved to Melbourne from Echuca in hopes of playing footy. He was recruited by the Saints in 1997 but prior to the season beginning, he broke his leg.
Following that short-lived moment in life, Fimmel went into modelling for Calvin Klein in the US before moving on to acting, where he is currently playing the lead character in the show Raised by Wolves.
Alex Careyย
The man who equalled the most catches by a wicket-keeper on Test debut two months ago, was once upon a time a footballer.
Carey played both cricket and football as a teenager, choosing to focus on footy as he got older. He played for Glenelg in the SANFL reserves at 15-years-old, playing amongst adults.
In 2009 he competed in the AFL Under 18 Championships for South Australia and won a premiership with Glenelg.
Turning down a rookie contract offer from the South Australian Cricket Association, Carey moved to Sydney in 2010 to join the newly formed AFL side GWS.
The Giants were playing in the TAC Cup prior to their AFL debut in 2012, where Carey captained the side and won the best and fairest despite missing the final four rounds.
Playing for them again in 2011 this time in the NEAFL, he wasn't given a spot on the list for 2012, therefore returning to Adelaide to pursue cricket.
Chris Brent
An aspiring footballer that is also the son of great train robber Ronnie Biggs.
Brent's father was known for being part of the Great Train Robbery of 1963 north of London.
A bigger story, Biggs famously escaped prison living as a fugitive for 36 years in Paris, Melbourne and Brazil. A story that includes plastic surgery, abortion and construction of Channel 9's city studio.
It is quite an interesting story, which I suggest reading into.
Chris Brent played his sole season of under 19s for Fitzroy in 1981, where he kicked a record 91 goals for the side, second in the competition.
Brent played in a side that included Paul Roos and Gary Pert.
