Once upon a time the AFL was an aerial battle dominated by high-marking forwards andstrong defenders, but the stereotypical Aboriginal-style of footballer who boasts speed to burn, flair and creativity has turned the game on its head. It is the future of the AFL on show for all to see today and it is an exciting brand of footy which has entertainment value written all over it.
Twenty years ago it was rare to see Aborigines weaving their magic ongrounds such as the MCG - now their involvement and influence is growing at breakneck speed. At present, of the 640 listed players in the AFL, only 46 are Aborigines. There is no doubt that number will grow at a huge rate in future years as the AFL continues itspromotional tours into the top end.
Talented Essendon mid fielder Cory McGrath is proud of where he has come from and has an important role to play in the way he conducts himself on the field for Aboriginal children to follow.
“It is a great honour because there are only a handful of us representing the Aboriginal people in competition - there are 46 players out of 640 that are in the AFL. I'm very proud to be a part of it.”
The 25 year old grew up admiring the West Coast Eagles and in particularAboriginal forward Chris Lewis and captain John Worsfold. He recalled looking upto some of the Aboriginal greats such as Graham `Polly' Farmer, BarryCable and Syd Jackson - who were major players in the Aboriginal revolutionin AFL ranks.
“Back in those days it was very rare for Aboriginal players to be playing,so I think now there are a lot more Aboriginal players playing because ofwhat they went through and the way they carried themselves out on thefield,” McGrath said.
Kangaroos player Daniel Motlop said not so long ago the AFL was outof reach for young Aboriginals living in the top end of Australia, but withthe emergence of a number of stars, it gives the youngsters something toaim for. He said the biggest problem attracting Aboriginal players to Victoriawas their reluctance to leave their close-knit families.
“They move down to Victoria and they only last a couple of monthsbecause their relatives get sick and then go they back up for the funeral. They just miss home and they stay there after that.”
Football has matured no end since the national competition was formed with theinclusion of the West Coast Eagles and the Brisbane Bears in 1987. Northern Territory isnow accepted as a great breeding ground for AFL clubs and it took a huge step forward in the preseason when the Aboriginal All-Stars played an exhibition match against Carlton.Blues midfielder Justin Murphy showed how proud he was of his Aboriginal heritage by crossing over to play for the All-Stars to the detriment of his club team.
For McGrath and Motlop, nothing that has happened in their football careers to date has come close to what they were feeling at Marrara Stadium when they comprehensively beat the Blues. “It was one of the best games I've ever been involved in. We went up there for the All-Stars game in February to play Carlton and the crowd up there was unbelievable - they were really behind the All-Stars side and Carlton as well,” McGrath said.
“Speaking to a few of the boys after the game, it was just a huge buzz forweeks after as well. That is the best game that I have ever played in and it isdefinitely my highlight. My brother loved it too and he played in apremiership, I'm sure it is one of his highlights,” Motlop said.
It begs the question, should the AFL reintroduce a State of Originseries where an Aboriginal All-Star team is represented? Port Adelaide and theWestern Bulldogs are believed to have expressed interest in playing home-and-away matches in Darwin next season, a concept McGrath fully supports.
“I think every AFL side that goes up there - the Aboriginal communityreally gets behind it,” he said. McGrath, who hails from WAFL club SouthFremantle, said the biggest influence on his career was former St Kilda andWestern Bulldogs midfielder Nicky Winmar, despite not being in directcontact with him.
Nicky Winmar was a great influence, especially with him over here.“He was from South Fremantle and I was from South Fremantle - hewas playing for St Kilda and I was coming through the junior ranks. “I knew that he wasfrom South Fremantle and it was just great to relate to a bloke who was a country boy back in WA, who came up through the ranks, played AFL footy and moved up to Victoria.”
Who can forget the day Winmar stood up for Aboriginal people whenhe was being racially vilified at Victoria Park in a game against Collingwood.Enough was enough as he stood up for all the people who had been racially taunted.“Although I didn't have anything to do with Nicky, it was great to see himplay and he really took a stand against Collingwood when they were raciallyvilifying him. He really stood up - he didn't go in hiding,” McGrath said.
Motlop said he was a person young Aboriginals could look up to, just as helooked up to Brownlow medallist Gavin Wanganeen when he was a teenager.“It just shows them that it is not hard to do and anyone can do it if youstick at it, train hard and be prepared to leave home,” Motlop said.
Importantly, the AFL has virtually stamped racism out of its game thanks largely to former Bombers star, Michael Long, who set a precedent by drawing up and puttingforward a racial vilification act. “It has been stamped out to a large degree. I think Longy was sick of it and he stood up to the AFL and said this is enough and put forward the racial vilification act to the AFL.
“That's been a great initiative by Longy and the AFL to stamp out that and I think with the AFLPA (players association), they have put in a lot of education into the players and the training to stamp it out,” McGrath said.
