It is particularly hot topic in the league at the moment, because of the repeated booing of Indigenous Sydney star Adam Goodes that has been widely condemned as racially motivated.

It is also the AFL's multicultural round this week and it has been running television advertisements using the slogan "many cultures, one game."

Puopolo said both his parents moved to Australia from Southern Italy, his father when he was 10 years old.

His father had played some football at a local level and Puopolo had always focussed on the sport.

Asked whether he heard the term "wog" growing up, he said that he had.

There were no other Italians on his team and he had experienced racism.

But Puopolo said he had used the taunts to motivate him to do well.

He will wear specially made boots with the colours of the Italian flag on them when the Hawks play West Coast at the weekend.