There’s been a lot of conjecture about his nickname, but now Andy McGrath has finally revealed the origins of it.

And what a story it is.

Appearing on this week’s episode of DON AIR, the young Bombers star affectionately known as ‘Pidge’ said it all began in his first car ride to The Hangar. 

“Basically it comes from Brendon Goddard,” McGrath recalled.

“On my first day at the club, he drove me in and asked me (if I had a nickname).

“He called me ‘Pigeon’, I asked why, and he said Glenn McGrath’s (former Australian cricketer) nickname was Pigeon.”

Migrating to Australia from Canada at the age of five, McGrath could be forgiven for not taking a liking to cricket, and therefore the nickname. 

But if he had his time again, he might have replied differently to Goddard. 

“He asked me if I liked it, and I said ‘probably not, I’d rather something else’.

“He’s like, ‘you should never have said that’ and basically from there it’s evolved.”

But this is where the story really gets interesting.

“A few weeks later, James Kelly was lurking around my locker. He shouldn’t usually be around there – he was No.47 and that real estate is a fair way from the No.1.

“I was wondering why he was there and I opened up the top lid of my locker and there you have it, a live pigeon right in the top of my locker. 

“I just walked out and said ‘get rid of it, just get rid of it’ and that’s how it (nickname) stuck.”

Three years on, Pidge is still going strong, both in name and nature.

Listen to Andy on DON AIR below, as he talks footy, living with Darcy Parish and saying goodbye to those luscious locks.