Remove this Banner Ad

Opinion Commentary & Media VIII

🥰 Love BigFooty? Join now for free.

Email urging AFL to act on risk of Indigenous decline revealed as unwanted history beckons​

The AFL was warned almost four years ago. Now — as Jade Gresham races the fitness clock — the Bombers may not field an Indigenous player in its Dreamtime clash for the first time ever.

May 20, 2025 - 8:33AM


AFL


Former Essendon list boss Adrian Dodoro lobbied the AFL four years ago to introduce a rule making it mandatory to recruit one Indigenous player per club as part of a new fully-funded rookie initiative.
In an email to former CEO Gillon McLachlan and current CEO Andrew Dillon in September 2021, Dodoro said the game was at risk of losing “Indigenous flair that we have seen over many years” and that his concerns around Indigenous recruiting were falling on “deaf ears”.
It comes as Essendon may not field an Indigenous player in its ‘Dreamtime at the G’ game against Richmond on Friday night for the first time in its 21-season history amid a declaration from former Essendon star Dean Rioli the game was “going backwards” for First Nations people.
The Bombers have only two Indigenous players on their list and will assess Jade Gresham (adductor) and Alwyn Davey Jr (VFL) at training this week for the clash against the Tigers at the MCG after a 91-point hammering from Western Bulldogs.
Jade Gresham‘s injury could hand Essendon a piece of unwanted history. Picture: Michael Klein

Jade Gresham‘s injury could hand Essendon a piece of unwanted history. Picture: Michael Klein
Only one Indigenous player, Hawthorn’s Cody Anderson (pick 64), was taken in the national draft last year, leaving the league with 62 Aboriginal or Torres Strait Island players, down sharply from 87 only five years ago in 2020.
AFL CEO Dillon on Friday sent a memo to clubs calling for feedback on “what more we can do” to improve “elite environments” for Indigenous and culturally diverse players amid the recruitment drop-off.
But the Herald Sun can reveal Dodoro, who moved on from the Bombers last year after 30 years in the game, proposed a shake-up of the club’s rookie rules to ensure each club drafted at least one Indigenous player per year.
Dodoro said the game was becoming too “system-based” for some Indigenous players from remote communities and that clubs were not being incentivised enough to take the chance on raw Indigenous talents.
“It should be mandatory for each club to recruit one additional Indigenous player onto their list on a 12-month contract,” Dodoro said in the email.

“This would be in the form of a scholarship and would have an educational component attached to it.
“We could make a real difference in helping Indigenous youth and bridge the gap.
“We are not actually providing the necessary incentives for Indigenous youth to play the game under the current system.”
McLachlan said in his response the proposal “feels like a good idea on face value” but it went nowhere.
Led by legendary former coach Kevin Sheedy, Essendon has been a trailblazer in Indigenous recruitment and played at least one Indigenous player in each of its 20 Dreamtime games including greats Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti, Paddy Ryder, Nathan Lovett-Murray and Alwyn Davey.
It would be sad to see no Indigenous player represent Essendon in the match. Picture: Michael Klein

It would be sad to see no Indigenous player represent Essendon in the match. Picture: Michael Klein
But the league’s showcase Indigenous event on Friday night at the MCG could yet be missing an Indigenous Essendon player for the first time.
Former Essendon board member and star forward Dean Rioli said Indigenous participation would continue to regress unless more effort and funding was directed at supporting Indigenous pathway programs and state league initiatives.
Rioli, who played 100 games for the Bombers, said the cultural gap between remote communities and the professional demands of an AFL club had never been greater.

“Right now it (Indigenous participation rates at AFL level) is going backwards,” Rioli told the Herald Sun.
“Whatever the AFL is doing is not working. It doesn’t mean it can’t improve.
“It’s where the AFL needs to support the foundations (such as the Eddie Betts Foundation and Pauly Vandenbergh’s Tjindu Foundation) and having a look at whether clubs are resourced and set up right once the player gets there, and is the AFL grassroots funding really reaching the areas that it should be?
Former Bomber Dean Rioli.

Former Bomber Dean Rioli.
“We hope there is going to be a spike because at the moment it is tracking in the wrong direction.
“There is just a monster, monster gap between say the Tiwi Bombers to where Maurice and Daniel (Rioli) are at right now.
“It is a really big challenge getting these kids to leave their homes (from regional areas) and get them to live a Victorian lifestyle, or Adelaide or Perth.”
Richmond speedster Rhyan Mansell, who is a proud Palawa man, designed the Tigers’ Dreamtime Guernsey and will play on Friday night.
The AFL is currently managing the exit of its most senior Indigenous representative Tanya Hosch after missing the launch of the league’s Sir Doug Nicholls Round in Darwin last week.
The elephant in the room in Victoria is private schools and how they are now almost exclusively where AFL players are identified and drafted. I have it on good authority the AFL rewards private schools with up to $75k for each kid that gets drafted into a club. Payment is for ‘sports facilities development’ of course. The flow on from the cosy relationship between private schools and the AFL is a lack of social and cultural diversity including indigenous players and working class people. Not to mention the impact on community football clubs at a junior level, a number of leagues/clubs have had to merge or fold because they can’t field enough teams due to private schools not allowing the kids to play in community competitions and the private schools comps (they have a choice 🙄) frankly some form of proactive indigenous recruitment policy is a great idea.
 
It is funny to me how (for many years now) we are watching private school kids almost exclusively. I could not name a state school educated player other than Max Gawn.

The AFL is basically Australian Rugby Union without any international competition to embarrass it.
 
It is funny to me how (for many years now) we are watching private school kids almost exclusively. I could not name a state school educated player other than Max Gawn.

The AFL is basically rugby union without any international competition to embarrass it.
Funnily enough I imagine North overindexes on public school kids relative to AFL population but the point stands. Private schools actively recruit gun public school players on scholarships at a pretty young age. If the $75k per head is true then some of the failed headhunting I've seen makes much more sense from a financial point of view balanced against the hits.

It is also a huge indictment on the AFL that they reward top end pathways at the expense of a wider funnel to capture tail-end talent, and then sit back and complain about first nations participation. They are reaping what they sow and deserve every single part of the criticism. Corruption rather than incompetence is quickly becoming a much more likely outcome at this point
 

Log in to remove this Banner Ad

It was an amazing read. Stephen Theodore admits to throwing his foot up and shirtfronting an opponent with his boot!

I actually met him in 2000 when I nearly ran out of petrol between Colac and Peterborough after a country golf pennant final at Colac. Paul Couch's brother Bill was in our team in the car in front and told me to stop at a farm just up the road. It was Theodore's farm and he filled up my car from his bowser. Nice enough bloke he seemed.

Also met Brian Brown at a Koroit game down there one year. A lovely guy - right up for a chat.

Hard to find anyone in the South West with anything much positive to say about Geoff Clark.

Staggering the crowd numbers at country footy grand finals in those days.

I followed Warrnambool back when Bill played and he was an absolute gun. Tough as nails, real old fashioned centreman. One of Warrnambool's all time greats, his lack of pace was the only thing that probably stopped him playing AFL.

As for Brian Brown, he's a great bloke. Was lucky to be coached by him in another sport. Ultra competitive in everything he did. You can see where Jono got it from.
 

north-melbourne.jpg

Alastair Clarkson will often be positioned in the coaches' box in between two of his most trusted confidantes. The club's head of football Todd Viney will be on one side of him, while its highly rated head football analyst Noni Taylor will be on the other. Performance analyst Ashley Crawford and opposition analyst Najee Imam are also stationed in the box and work closely with Clarkson's group of assistant coaches in Jed Adcock (backline), Leigh Adams (midfield) and Xavier Clarke (forwards). The club's football operations coordinator Steph Webb is also located upstairs, while its head of football operations Cam Matthews is the main port of call downstairs on the bench. He takes all communications from the box and directs it to the relevant people and players. – Riley Beveridge
 
Funnily enough I imagine North overindexes on public school kids relative to AFL population but the point stands. Private schools actively recruit gun public school players on scholarships at a pretty young age. If the $75k per head is true
My guy is adamant this has happened, I’m guessing the amounts and the reasons (sports development, facilities development coaching development etc) might vary but in some guise or another it is happening. I don’t like the practice but if they are going to do it then it should be transparent.
 

north-melbourne.jpg

Alastair Clarkson will often be positioned in the coaches' box in between two of his most trusted confidantes. The club's head of football Todd Viney will be on one side of him, while its highly rated head football analyst Noni Taylor will be on the other. Performance analyst Ashley Crawford and opposition analyst Najee Imam are also stationed in the box and work closely with Clarkson's group of assistant coaches in Jed Adcock (backline), Leigh Adams (midfield) and Xavier Clarke (forwards). The club's football operations coordinator Steph Webb is also located upstairs, while its head of football operations Cam Matthews is the main port of call downstairs on the bench. He takes all communications from the box and directs it to the relevant people and players. – Riley Beveridge
Find this stuff more interesting as I get older (& wiser?). Would love to see & hear more of what goes down during a game. Fly on the wall style, particularly in a close contest.

Are there good documentaries with any footage &/or audio of this?

Would be pretty fascinating to be able to hear the whole last quarter of a grand final from inside the winning coaches box.
 

Remove this Banner Ad

What's this in relation to GR?
I think it's Wayne responding to Caro's "big breaking news" that he will be attending the 100 year celebration function later this year, along with Arch and Stevo. She's presented it as a big return or welcoming back, whereas he seems to be saying that he's always attended those
 
I think it's Wayne responding to Caro's "big breaking news" that he will be attending the 100 year celebration function later this year, along with Arch and Stevo. She's presented it as a big return or welcoming back, whereas he seems to be saying that he's always attended those
Cheers.

He was at our big Shinboner function ~2005, he gave a speech at a North function ~2009, he's been at reunions so he's completely correct.
 
Find this stuff more interesting as I get older (& wiser?). Would love to see & hear more of what goes down during a game. Fly on the wall style, particularly in a close contest.

Are there good documentaries with any footage &/or audio of this?

Would be pretty fascinating to be able to hear the whole last quarter of a grand final from inside the winning coaches box.
Remember the Rocket Eade leak? Lol
 

🥰 Love BigFooty? Join now for free.

Not sure I'd be cloning Souva. Sheezel 100%

View attachment 2320580
has to be Chom, we need one of him in defense saving goals and another up forward kicking them.

we have enough mids, and we don't need another X because the one we have already rucks all day by himself.
 
My guy is adamant this has happened, I’m guessing the amounts and the reasons (sports development, facilities development coaching development etc) might vary but in some guise or another it is happening. I don’t like the practice but if they are going to do it then it should be transparent.
I can find out, I doubt its true. Seems a ridiculous amount of money considering almost all draftees come from private schools
 
I get where he’s coming from, but I think it is relevant because he was left out of the video highlighting our past champions at the start of the year. Looked like a deliberate snub by the club at the time…. which led to speculation that he wasn’t welcome by the current administration.
Duck is an idiot but that was unfair on him.

He took his son to a VFL game last year and toured the club facilities in 2023 as well. So clearly there was no issue with him.

Whomever snubbed Duck in November last year in the 100 years celebratory video, unnecessarily added fuel to fire.
This is 100% on the club media team.
 
Duck is an idiot but that was unfair on him.

He took his son to a VFL game last year and toured the club facilities in 2023 as well. So clearly there was no issue with him.

Whomever snubbed Duck in November last year in the 100 years celebratory video, unnecessarily added fuel to fire.
This is 100% on the club media team.
I honestly do not think there was any kind of ‘snub’ at all. The video was more about the guernsey. Carey doesn’t need to be in every piece of vision where somebody is wearing that ‘bounding too’ guernsey.

This has been blown out of proportion but a few, particularly online.

Was it also a ‘snub’ to Sheezel, Larkey & LDU etc that Duursma was the player modelling the celebratory guernsey?
 
I honestly do not think there was any kind of ‘snub’ at all. The video was more about the guernsey. Carey doesn’t need to be in every piece of vision where somebody is wearing that ‘bounding too’ guernsey.

This has been blown out of proportion but a few, particularly online.

Was it also a ‘snub’ to Sheezel, Larkey & LDU etc that Duursma was the player modelling the celebratory guernsey?
Wasn't a snub. Just dumb.
 

Remove this Banner Ad

Opinion Commentary & Media VIII

Remove this Banner Ad

🥰 Love BigFooty? Join now for free.

Back
Top