Ian J. Nankervis is a former Australian rules football

Australian rules football

Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...

er for the Geelong Football Club

Geelong Football Club

The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...

 in the Victorian Football League

Australian Football League

The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

 (VFL). Nankervis played for Geelong for 17 seasons and was captain from 1978 to 1981, and again in 1983. Nankervis holds the record of most senior level games for Geelong with 325 VFL games. Nankervis also represented Victoria at state level on 12 occasions.

VFL career

Nankervis was recruited from Barwon

Barwon River (Victoria)

The Barwon River rises in the Otway Ranges of Victoria, Australia, runs through Winchelsea and the city of Geelong, where it is joined by the Moorabool River, and enters the sea at Barwon Heads after passing through Lake Connewarre on the Bellarine Peninsula...

. Initially he played mainly as a forward pocket

Forward pocket

In Australian rules football, the forward pocket refers to a position on the field deep in offense.Forward pocket players, situated in the forward line, need to have good avoidance and goal sneak skills and usually, quality forward-pockets are noted for their agility and ability to score difficult...

-rover, scoring a creditable 203 goals. He later developed into one of the finest back pocket

Back pocket

In Australian rules football, the back pocket refers to a position on the field deep in defence.Back pocket players, situated in the backline, need to have good spoiling skills and usually, quality back-pockets are noted for their hardness....

s in the VFL after then coach Rodney Olsson

Rodney Olsson

Rodney Olsson is a former Australian rules footballer and coach who played with Hawthorn in the VFL during the 1960s.Olsson was a ruck-rover for Hawthorn but when he started his career he played as a half forward as well as on the half back flanks...

 shifted him to that end of the ground

Nankervis was awarded the club's Best and Fairest

Best and Fairest

Best and Fairest is the term commonly used in Australian sport to describe the player adjudged to have had the best performance in a game or over a season for a given sporting club or competition while not receiving a suspension for misconduct or breaching the rules during that season.In the...

 award, the Carji Greeves Medal

Carji Greeves Medal

The Carji Greeves Medal is an Australian rules football award given to the player adjudged Best and Fairest for the Geelong Football Club for the season....

 on three occasions in 1972, 1976 and 1977 and captained the team from 1978 until 1982 (110 games). Nankervis wore a guernsey with the number 40 during his tenure at the club. His brother was fellow player Bruce Nankervis

Bruce Nankervis

Bruce Nankervis is a former Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League for Geelong Football Club. He wore the number 33 during his tenure at the club....

.

In 2001 he was named in the Geelong Football Club Team of the Century and in 2005 was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame

Australian Football Hall of Fame

The Australian Football Hall of Fame was established in 1996, the Centenary year of the Australian Football League, to help recognise the contributions made to the sport of Australian rules football by players, umpires, media personalities, coaches and administrators. It was initially established...

.

Honours

Individual:

• VFL:
  • Victorian team
    Victoria Australian rules football team
    The Victorian Australian rules football team, also known as the Big V is the representative side of Victoria, Australia in the sport of Australian rules football....
    
     representative honours: 12 matches (captain in 1979)
  • All-Australian: 1980
  • Member of the Australian Football Hall of Fame
    Australian Football Hall of Fame
    The Australian Football Hall of Fame was established in 1996, the Centenary year of the Australian Football League, to help recognise the contributions made to the sport of Australian rules football by players, umpires, media personalities, coaches and administrators. It was initially established...
    
    : 2005 induction

• Geelong Football Club:
  • Carji Greeves Medal
    Carji Greeves Medal
    The Carji Greeves Medal is an Australian rules football award given to the player adjudged Best and Fairest for the Geelong Football Club for the season....
    
    : 1972, 1976, 1977
  • Geelong F.C. Leading Club Goalkicker Award: 1975 (equal with Larry Donohue
    Larry Donohue
    Larry Donohue is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club from 1973. He was recruited from the Thomson Football Club. He won the Coleman Medal in 1976 after kicking 99 goals.- References :...
    
    )
  • Geelong F.C. captain: 1978 – 1981, 1983
  • Member of the Geelong F.C. Team of the Century: 2001 induction

• Records:
  • Most games played for Geelong F.C. (325 games)

Personal

Ian Nankervis, after retiring from football, now teaches physical education and science at a high school level.