I'D HEARD the whispers before and, since Liam Jurrah's dramas of the past week, the whispers have grown louder - AFL clubs are starting to back away from recruiting indigenous players.As a result of the Liam Jurrah saga, in his article in today's Age, Martin Flanagan raises some interesting points in regards to the drafting of Indigenous players into the AFL.
On the day of and those following the breaking of the story that Jurrah had been arrested, both the Herald Sun and Age rushed through emotive articles on the issues of culture and cultural division within the AFL. Martin Flanagan, who I respect immensely as a journalist and who, unlike many, doesn't seem to write on topical issues for the sake of argumentation, has followed up his initial stream of Jurrah and Indigenous-related works with today's article, stating that AFL recruiters have, and will continue to, shy away from Indigenous talent because of issues the likes of Jurrah have brought to the AFL and specific clubs. 'They [Indigenous players] are "too hard" and "too much trouble"' Flanagan writes, not merely expressing his opinion, but voicing 'whispers' he has previously heard.
On face-value, there is merit in what is said: in last year's National, Pre Season and Rookie Drafts, having been widely tipped, not only on forums such as this, but also through the media, to be an early pick for a club willing to 'risk' the problems that would arise from drafting a kid from such a different cultural background (read: an Indigenous player from a remote community), Key-Position prospect Waylon Manson was overlooked entirely. Draft expert Emma Quayle rated him in her list of the 25 most talented players which she compiles each year. Despite outstanding form, including outperforming former AFL star Brendan Fevola in the Northern Territory League, Manson, from the tiny community of Billiluna in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, wasn't selected.
However, in deference to my view, Flanagan puts the 'blame' of this onto the AFL. The AFL needs to act and needs to act quickly he says, firstly as though there is a problem and secondly as though the AFL is at fault. Despite the non-drafting of Manson, I, in all my amateur wisdom, don't see a problem in AFL recruiting. My team Richmond, who has had two recent Indigenous selections backfire as the individuals, Relton Roberts and Troy Taylor, have quit the club and returned to their respective communities and who is referenced in Flanagan's article as the team that "passed up [Buddy Franklin] in the draft because they thought he was trouble" just last year acquired another rookie prospect, Indigenous player, Gibson Turner, from the Rovers Football Club in the Northern Territory. In the 2004 draft Flanagan claims Richmond overlooked Franklin in, Richmond selected another Indigenous Territorian, Richard Tambling. Moreover, not confined to the drafting of Richmond, Flanagan's article suggests many, if not all AFL recruiters are beginning to overlook Aboriginal players that might struggle to adapt from community life to city living. Hawthorn's drafting of Amos Frank, the Bulldogs' Zeph Skinner, Fremantle's Casey Sibosado and so on, proves that Indigenous players are still feted and celebrated by AFL recruiters.
The Manson non-selection, my guess as to the root of the hysteria worked up by articles the like of Flanagan's, is an interesting one. Having lived nearby Billiluna for the best part of the past two years, I can understand and recognise the strong pull-factor that would keep the people I worked with, in their community, or drive them back to their community after a short period away. I'm guessing Manson, coming from very similar circumstances, would experience a similar bond to his community. Remembering that AFL isn't for everyone - Nathan Ablett being a prime example of a great talent disinterested in playing professionally - I'm guessing AFL recruiters believed Manson would struggle to adapt to the culture shock that moving from his community to whichever city held the club that drafted him.
With internationally-acclaimed programs including 2011 Beyond Sport winner Flying Boomerangs and QANTAS Kickstart, the AFL is doing more for Indigenous youth than any other organisation save for the government, in the country. To suggest that the AFL isn't doing enough for Indigenous players, to me, is just plain wrong.
), players from 'rural/tribal areas' won't be given the same access to compete at the top level as suburban players, because issues such as home-sickness seems to be more prevalent thus the player more risky.
