Any Indigenous Around?
May 26th 2008 21:08
Round 9 of the AFL seaon passed which celebrated the role of Indigenous Australians as contributors to the great game of Footy. The showpiece of this round is Dreamtime at the `G between Esssendon and Richmond, an occasion which was championed by the innovative former bombers coach Kevin Sheedy, but despite public perception not his idea, Sheeds was merely the conduit for this great tribute.
Despite this honourable round there is a still abit of work to do in order to give Indigenous Australians the same opportunities in this great country, unfortunately this was illustrated in a salient fashion at Dreamtime at the `G, where as most games over the weekend used Indigenous team members as honorary captains, in the Demons Hawks game, Chance Bateman and Aaron Davey did the coin toss duties, in what was a possible oversight, but never the less an indication of perhaps cultural complacency, Essendon sent out usual captain Matthew Lloyd for the duties, he must have been bemused to meet young Tiger Richard Tambling at the centre for the toss. In a poetic follow on the Tigers dominated the Bombers throughout as General Kitchener`s game plan was exposed again as clueless. Interesting that stories emanating from Windy Hill around the time of Kitcheners appointment, infered it was intention to have a different cultural approach to the Indigenous members of his squad, as opposed to a one size fits all mentality, that swung in his favour over Damien Hardwick, if so, this may appear to be just lipservice in light of the coin toss missed opportunity. Incidentally Bateman and Davey were critical components in success of their sides performance, which erased the tokenism perception and highlighted this step as an empowerment of these men within their respecive teams, Davey was instrumental in elevating the performance of the previous one win from eight Dees, while Bateman was the catalyst going forward for the Hawks who without his penetrative inside 50`s would certainly have stuggled to overcome the Dees in the second half.
Of course there are those who may argue that the Dees were improving regardless and that the Hawks would ultimately have triumphed due to their dependable game plan. The AFL`s official historian for the publication The Australian Game Of Football, Gillian Hibbins probably feels that the roles of Bateman and Davey are over emphasised in the same way that she feels her co-author in the historical tome, Adam Goodes is a racist for his inference when he suggested that Indigenous kids are born to play footy. Ms Hibbins or "John Howards favourite historian" interpreted this as a statement of superiority and consequently racist. Perhaps had she read her co-authors candid view of his life as an aborigine in Australia, the assumption of superiority would be the last thing from her mind, Goodes directly refers to his troubled childhood as his mother moved in order to pursue a better life away from alcohol and physical abuse. Not withstanding Goodes role as an ambassador as even acknowledged by the intransient Howard government, where Goodes held an appointed role on an Aboriginal board, the fact he is now a dual Brownlow medalist a Premiership player and one of the notable performers from the AFL`s showpiece the Hall Of Fame game, not to mention the mature manner in which he accepted the recent public criticism of his performance by his coach Paul Roos, despite his troubled upbringing Goodes has clearly indicated he is a cosummate leader in development not a supremacist!
The Age`s Greg Baum implied that the Indigeous Round is just window dressing, and to just acknowledge aboriginal footballers and leave at that suggests he is right. The statistics of Indigenous Australians making up less than 2% of the population yet by comparison there is an over representation on AFL playing lists where they make up about 10% of the total number of players.
In Mavis Clark`s biography of Pastor Doug Nicholls, Pastor Doug, she refers to Nicholls introduction to VFA football with Northcote as being that to underwrite his success, an aboriginal had to be better than others in order to get an opportunity, bearing in mind that Doug Nicholls was about five feet two inches in a time when players were protected by their team mates not the limited amount of officials, Nicholls subsequent spell of 54 games alongside Haydn Bunton at Fitzroy, as he attested, on just one leg, following knee surgery validates the perception that he had to be better in order to be selected.
Clearly there is abundance of Indigenous talent integral to all teams and the game in general terms, with of Geelong last year an Indigenous player(s) has had a significant role on the Grand Final over the last 10 years, there have been 5 Norm Smith Medalists since 1982, there have 19 Indigenous B & F winners including Norm McDonald since 1951, 4 Indigenous club captains, 4 Indigenous named in their respective club`s Team of the Century, and 45 All-Australian inclusions.
What this tells us is that Indigenous footballers fulfill all the roles of white footballers of consistency and leadership, but, alongside the small population of successful Indigenous leaders in business and other walks of life, not to mention the lack of Indigenous representation in football coaching positions, football administration and surprise surprise the football media.
On the footy oval with the Sherrin in their hands, stars such as Michael Long and Adam Goodes, their talents are indisputable, both men have also shown their mettle and leadership off-field, Long with his Long Walk, his response to John Howard`s attempt to dismiss the stolen generation as a myth. Long whose parents were members of that affected group, appropriately referred to Howard as "a cold hearted prick" . Ironically Goodes was involved in government agency charged with setting out procedures for the Indigenous population, under the Howard tenureship. Goodes own mother was removed from her parents along with 9 other siglings who were then sent to different places, as Goodes so poignantly requests of the reader in his essayin the Australian Game Of Football,"just think about that".
So although the Indigenous Round is a great initiative, when is the AFL going to take steps to recognise the broader value of Indigenous Australians?
In the NFL there is the Rooney Law, which requires all teams to interview an African-American candidate for each vacated senior coaching role, Ironically this law is named for the owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers who by their own admission stumbled on their current coach, as they were unaware of his resume till they met him. The quantifiable benefits of this were demonstrated in last years Superbowl between The Colts and The Bears which pitted the serene Tony Dungy against the unflappable Lovey Smith, both coaches a study in control and measured behaviour. We have borrowed alot of great initiatives from the USA, clearly here is another fine example.
The AFL shouldn`t stop there either as scan around the ground the next time you are at the footy and check for Indigenous representation in the stands. Whatever the reasons are, probably economic, with the exception of WA and to a lesser extent SA the Indigenous fan base is cospicuously absent.
The AFL has an opportunity to lead Australia, not just sport in Australia, by initiating leadership programs for their Indigenous players to find the coaches and administration leaders in waiting, and consequently demonstrate to all other walks of Australian life that Indigenous Australians can do all tasks required of them not just banana kicks from the boundary.
Despite this honourable round there is a still abit of work to do in order to give Indigenous Australians the same opportunities in this great country, unfortunately this was illustrated in a salient fashion at Dreamtime at the `G, where as most games over the weekend used Indigenous team members as honorary captains, in the Demons Hawks game, Chance Bateman and Aaron Davey did the coin toss duties, in what was a possible oversight, but never the less an indication of perhaps cultural complacency, Essendon sent out usual captain Matthew Lloyd for the duties, he must have been bemused to meet young Tiger Richard Tambling at the centre for the toss. In a poetic follow on the Tigers dominated the Bombers throughout as General Kitchener`s game plan was exposed again as clueless. Interesting that stories emanating from Windy Hill around the time of Kitcheners appointment, infered it was intention to have a different cultural approach to the Indigenous members of his squad, as opposed to a one size fits all mentality, that swung in his favour over Damien Hardwick, if so, this may appear to be just lipservice in light of the coin toss missed opportunity. Incidentally Bateman and Davey were critical components in success of their sides performance, which erased the tokenism perception and highlighted this step as an empowerment of these men within their respecive teams, Davey was instrumental in elevating the performance of the previous one win from eight Dees, while Bateman was the catalyst going forward for the Hawks who without his penetrative inside 50`s would certainly have stuggled to overcome the Dees in the second half.
The Age`s Greg Baum implied that the Indigeous Round is just window dressing, and to just acknowledge aboriginal footballers and leave at that suggests he is right. The statistics of Indigenous Australians making up less than 2% of the population yet by comparison there is an over representation on AFL playing lists where they make up about 10% of the total number of players.
In Mavis Clark`s biography of Pastor Doug Nicholls, Pastor Doug, she refers to Nicholls introduction to VFA football with Northcote as being that to underwrite his success, an aboriginal had to be better than others in order to get an opportunity, bearing in mind that Doug Nicholls was about five feet two inches in a time when players were protected by their team mates not the limited amount of officials, Nicholls subsequent spell of 54 games alongside Haydn Bunton at Fitzroy, as he attested, on just one leg, following knee surgery validates the perception that he had to be better in order to be selected.
Clearly there is abundance of Indigenous talent integral to all teams and the game in general terms, with of Geelong last year an Indigenous player(s) has had a significant role on the Grand Final over the last 10 years, there have been 5 Norm Smith Medalists since 1982, there have 19 Indigenous B & F winners including Norm McDonald since 1951, 4 Indigenous club captains, 4 Indigenous named in their respective club`s Team of the Century, and 45 All-Australian inclusions.
What this tells us is that Indigenous footballers fulfill all the roles of white footballers of consistency and leadership, but, alongside the small population of successful Indigenous leaders in business and other walks of life, not to mention the lack of Indigenous representation in football coaching positions, football administration and surprise surprise the football media.
On the footy oval with the Sherrin in their hands, stars such as Michael Long and Adam Goodes, their talents are indisputable, both men have also shown their mettle and leadership off-field, Long with his Long Walk, his response to John Howard`s attempt to dismiss the stolen generation as a myth. Long whose parents were members of that affected group, appropriately referred to Howard as "a cold hearted prick" . Ironically Goodes was involved in government agency charged with setting out procedures for the Indigenous population, under the Howard tenureship. Goodes own mother was removed from her parents along with 9 other siglings who were then sent to different places, as Goodes so poignantly requests of the reader in his essayin the Australian Game Of Football,"just think about that".
So although the Indigenous Round is a great initiative, when is the AFL going to take steps to recognise the broader value of Indigenous Australians?
In the NFL there is the Rooney Law, which requires all teams to interview an African-American candidate for each vacated senior coaching role, Ironically this law is named for the owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers who by their own admission stumbled on their current coach, as they were unaware of his resume till they met him. The quantifiable benefits of this were demonstrated in last years Superbowl between The Colts and The Bears which pitted the serene Tony Dungy against the unflappable Lovey Smith, both coaches a study in control and measured behaviour. We have borrowed alot of great initiatives from the USA, clearly here is another fine example.
The AFL shouldn`t stop there either as scan around the ground the next time you are at the footy and check for Indigenous representation in the stands. Whatever the reasons are, probably economic, with the exception of WA and to a lesser extent SA the Indigenous fan base is cospicuously absent.
The AFL has an opportunity to lead Australia, not just sport in Australia, by initiating leadership programs for their Indigenous players to find the coaches and administration leaders in waiting, and consequently demonstrate to all other walks of Australian life that Indigenous Australians can do all tasks required of them not just banana kicks from the boundary.
| 85 |
| Vote |
Shared on
Subscribe to this blog
Comment by jon
Orble News
Urban Hint
Blog Adviser
Jon's Bookmarks
Debate Battle
Orblepedia
Orble Notes
Sydney WeekendNotes
You may also need to add the email address admin -at- orblemail.com to your address book in order to receive Orble admin emails in the future.
Thanks,
Jon.
(Orble Admin)