When the ball was bounced to start the annual Easter Monday clash between bitter rivals Geelong and Hawthorn, the centre square contained eight athletes, one umpire, one Sherrin and a rogue pigeon.

As the first quarter rolled on, the courageous rock dove continued to attend centre bounces and was undeterred by the myriad of studded boots that tore up the turf around it.

Although the winged invader was finally shooed to the sidelines, it did get us thinking about the weirdest and wackiest groups, individuals, items and beasts that have crossed the white line in the past.

With the game of Australian Rules Football now over 150-years-old and enjoying sesquicentennial status, we have almost certainly missed some of the game's strangest objects and intruders, so please, let us know your nominations in the comments.

Without further ado, here are the 11 most abnormal field occupants in our game's great history - besides Mark 'Jacko' Jackson.

8. Bad Apples (1970)

As time wound down in Geelong and South Melbourne's clash in Round 20 of 1970, the enormity of what was at stake was lost on none of the 29,918 spectators packing the Kardinia Park terraces.

If the Swans collected the chocolates, not only would they snap a 12-year losing streak at the venue, but they would make make the finals for the first time since 1945. If they failed, another September would be spent away from the playing field.

Reports from the day suggest that Geelong were peppering the sticks late in the day, but proved perennially inept when it came to splitting them - until their superstar spearhead Doug Wade entered the fray.

The four time Coleman medalist and 11-time club leading goal scorer marked the footy well within range in the dying stages, and with ball in hand, turned to sink the Swans.

Wade's kick was said to be sailing through the goalposts, until a South fan with a deadly aim threw an apple core at the ball and sent it offline.

The slice of luck was enough send South back to September, but in Bob Skilton's only finals appearance of his 237-game career, the lakesiders went down to the Saints in the semi-final.