Aboriginal & TSI Why have there been so few Indigenous captains in VFL/AFL history?

[Adelaide Hawk]

I would imagine some clubs have had indigenous players in leadership groups. I know Chance Bateman was highly regarded at Hawthorn and Bradley Hill was considered a possible future captain, but in that time the Hawks had Sam Mitchell and Luke Hodge in the captaincy role.

 

[Cincinnatus]

Leadership takes intelligence and responsibility. Traditionally, education standards for indigenous children have been woefully behind the rest of the country. I’d say that’d be the main driver, along with good ol fashioned racism.

This is just about the worst appraisal of leadership ever.

Intelligence has very, very, very little to do with leadership.

Command, empathy, communication, act.

These are by far the 4 most important qualities - these are naturally developed skills and often the best leaders are born with it.
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Im not a fan of advocating we need to start handing out captaincies for indigenous players for the sake of it.

The answer realistically lies within our own country's history and their limited numbers.

For about 100 of those 120 years Australia has been pretty damn discriminatory against indigenous people. Only now are we starting to really see a cultural shift at an individual level. Yet still many in the community resist.

I would suggest that they've actually had prettt decent representation in the last 20 years. It also doesnt help that many indigenous players are recruited to play that small, quick, xfactor role which rarely ever attracts captains.

Anyway, would love to see more in rhe the future and naturally there will be. Will there ever be parity? Only if the AFL is interfering with an agenda.

 

[Blue1980]

I look forward to andrew Bolts take on this

 

[NotAMagpieBogan]

For some reason I assumed Andrew McLeod was captain at some point.

 

[Captivating]

Why have there been so few black quarterbacks in NFL

Why no indigenous senior coaches in AFL

Why so few black head coaches in NFL

Dunno?!?

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

Michanel O’Loughlin in 2009
Lewis Jetta in 2010, 11 or 12
Byron Sumner in 2011
Tony Armstrong in 2012

None were self indulgent people with a holier than thou attitude.
Real people who symbolised the bloods culture.
Players who would’ve fit the mold of a club with a “no d***heads policy”

Should’ve built your team around that culture. Instead, you built a culture which allowed Kurt Tippett to feel right at home.

Oh please.

I do realise your entire post is just a life-support system for another vent about Kurt Tippett leaving the Crows, even though the Swans were entirely above board in that affair.

But Tony Armstrong played a grand total of 15 games for the Swans.

Not sure if you've noticed but it's generally customary that the captain of a club takes to the paddock with the team on game day and plays the whole game with them.

Perhaps you're thinking of Neil Armstrong, the famous astronaut? Man, that guy could lead. People followed him to the moon and back. Literally. And I mean, literally literally.

 

[PieLebo87]

I’d like to see more Lebo captains.

Why aren’t there any Lebanese captains?

 

[class78]

Michanel O’Loughlin in 2009
Lewis Jetta in 2010, 11 or 12
Byron Sumner in 2011
Tony Armstrong in 2012

None were self indulgent people with a holier than thou attitude.
Real people who symbolised the bloods culture.
Players who would’ve fit the mold of a club with a “no d***heads policy”

Should’ve built your team around that culture. Instead, you built a culture which allowed Kurt Tippett to feel right at home.

michael o'loughlin signifies another type of culture....

 

[radiojake]

did not know Steven May was indigenous

 

[PerthBoy86]

Indigenous players make up what, about 10% of a typical playing squad? So you'd expect 1 in 10 captains to be indigenous, on average (if anything indigenous players tend to perform better than average, so say 1 in 8). You'd have to ask: are indigenous players grossly underrepresented proportionately among captains?

 

[PerthBoy86]

Just goes to show that the WAFL was ahead of the times, or the VFL is dragging it’s feet.

Keith Narkle.

WA is also a lot more indigenous/aboriginal per capita. You hardly even see clearly aboriginal people in most of Melbourne compared to Perth.

 

[Ron The Bear]

Michael Long - Essendon (1999)

Long was standing in for Hird. If we're going to include those, then Shaun Burgoyne captained Port in some games in 2008 & Danyle Pearce in 2012. Maurice Rioli did more than half of 1985 at Richmond. Chance Bateman and Antoni Grover are others who led their clubs.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

This is just about the worst appraisal of leadership ever.

Intelligence has very, very, very little to do with leadership.

Command, empathy, communication, act.

These are by far the 4 most important qualities - these are naturally developed skills and often the best leaders are born with it.
----------

Well, you’d know.

 

[onebillsdrive]

Michanel O’Loughlin in 2009
Lewis Jetta in 2010, 11 or 12
Byron Sumner in 2011
Tony Armstrong in 2012

None were self indulgent people with a holier than thou attitude.
Real people who symbolised the bloods culture.
Players who would’ve fit the mold of a club with a “no d***heads policy”

Should’ve built your team around that culture. Instead, you built a culture which allowed Kurt Tippett to feel right at home.

Jetta, Armstrong, Sumner as captains......WHAT!
Roflmao

 

[Present Not Past]

St Kilda wanted Andrew Lovett to take over the leadership role at the club but that didn't work out.

 

[blitzer]

Michanel O’Loughlin in 2009
Lewis Jetta in 2010, 11 or 12
Byron Sumner in 2011
Tony Armstrong in 2012

None were self indulgent people with a holier than thou attitude.
Real people who symbolised the bloods culture.
Players who would’ve fit the mold of a club with a “no d***heads policy”

Should’ve built your team around that culture. Instead, you built a culture which allowed Kurt Tippett to feel right at home.

Lewis Jetta. Wow. You seriously believe he would have made a good captain?
Can run really fast and is supremely skilled but is one of the softest players going around. Absolutely not captain material.

Michael O'Loughlin would have made a good captain.

 

[hoianbulldog]

Name some indigenous players who were more deserving of being captain than the captain of their club at the time?

Answer this and we can have a conversation. Otherwise the thread is just stupid.

Why arent more westy bogans AFL captains?

Why arent more kids from single parent families captains?

Why aren't more kids with public educations captains?

How did we get to this s**t?

Captains stand out in a group to lead.

Answer your own question OP.

 

[Kappa]

Michanel O’Loughlin in 2009
Lewis Jetta in 2010, 11 or 12
Byron Sumner in 2011
Tony Armstrong in 2012

None were self indulgent people with a holier than thou attitude.
Real people who symbolised the bloods culture.
Players who would’ve fit the mold of a club with a “no d***heads policy”

Should’ve built your team around that culture. Instead, you built a culture which allowed Kurt Tippett to feel right at home.

How many of those players wanted to be captain at the time? Tony Armstrong was never captaincy material, same with Jetta, terrible list.

 

[hoianbulldog]

Indigenous players make up what, about 10% of a typical playing squad? So you'd expect 1 in 10 captains to be indigenous, on average (if anything indigenous players tend to perform better than average, so say 1 in 8). You'd have to ask: are indigenous players grossly underrepresented proportionately among captains?

Fmd. You think the best player should be captain. Welcome back to the under 10's.

 

[hoianbulldog]

St Kilda wanted Andrew Lovett to take over the leadership role at the club but that didn't work out.

Why did it fail?

 

[Tbonefreo]

Michanel O’Loughlin in 2009
Lewis Jetta in 2010, 11 or 12
Byron Sumner in 2011
Tony Armstrong in 2012

None were self indulgent people with a holier than thou attitude.
Real people who symbolised the bloods culture.
Players who would’ve fit the mold of a club with a “no d***heads policy”

Should’ve built your team around that culture. Instead, you built a culture which allowed Kurt Tippett to feel right at home.

lol surely a piss take?

 

[Tbonefreo]

michael o'loughlin signifies another type of culture....

...r

 

[Monkey King]

Without having a clue as to the answer, I’d say in general that personality type and ambition to lead, would be a significant contributor in who eventually winds up being captain. Plenty of great players don’t captain their clubs.

 

[Wojcinski]

It's already been said but a lot of the indigenous players - especially those from remote areas are reserved or shy and generally don't have the personality to lead a football club.

It is surprising that so few have led clubs though.

 

[Mitchell54]

Indigenous players make up what, about 10% of a typical playing squad? So you'd expect 1 in 10 captains to be indigenous, on average (if anything indigenous players tend to perform better than average, so say 1 in 8). You'd have to ask: are indigenous players grossly underrepresented proportionately among captains?

I don’t think they do perform better than average. It’s just that they bring something unique to the game