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Closing the Gap: Brett Goodes on footy and Aboriginal Australia
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http://s.afl.com.au/staticfile/AFL%2...LC%20%2038.jpg
There’s a responsibility that comes with being an Indigenous player in today’s game according to Brett Goodes, and it’s a responsibility that extends well beyond the confines of Etihad Stadium, Adelaide Oval or the MCG.
It’s a path well tread by people like Nicky Winmar, Michael Long, and Sir Douglass Nicholls before them, and it stretches into the homes and hearts of Aboriginal Australia.
“It’s bestowed on you, it’s not something you choose to do,” Goodes told westernbulldogs.com.au in the lead up Indigenous Round, named after Nicholls for the second year running.
“Unfortunately for us Aboriginal people we have to be because of the history and challenges of our people. We're in the minority, we're marginalised. There’s a gap there and we need to close it."
What began as a list of Goodes’ top five indigenous players he’d seen in his time in footy evolved into something much bigger when we caught up with him this week: a celebration of Indigenous achievements on, but most importantly off the field.
“It’s not all about on-field, it’s what the guys stand for and what they can do off-field as well,” he said. “They’ve contributed to the game, but it’s their contribution to our people that we should talk about.”
We caught up with Goodes at Java Lounge in Ballarat, just around the corner from the Club’s headquarters on Mair Street in 2017, less than 10 minutes from Mars Stadium.
If there’s one thing that stands out about the 33-year-old it’s his pride in his people, and in particular, his admiration for those that have used their status as footballers to give back.
So, while the list remained, he was reluctant to focus solely on football. Rather, for this week in particular, he wanted to cast a wider lens and acknowledge those that have carried on the Nicholls/Winmar/Long legacy.
5. Eddie Betts.
Betts has been in the news this season for both good and bad reasons.
On-field, he’s moved into the discussion of the best small forwards to play the game, but has had to deal with some ugly race-related incidents off the field as well.
For Goodes, Betts’ work off the field as a mentor to young players doesn’t get the attention it deserves.
“Obviously he’s an absolute superstar player, you can’t doubt him there. He’s so dangerous and can kick a goal from anywhere, but I think his off-field work, what he’s done for players, is underrated.
“And not just indigenous players, but non indigenous players too.”
A natural leader, Betts has that special ability to make people better, not just as players, but as men, says Goodes.
“What he’s able to do for indigenous players and players he plays with, including the non-Indigenous players, he's a real inclusive guy. They thrive having Eddie around.”
4. Shaun Burgoyne
Goodes gets visibly animated when talking about Burgoyne the player, ‘they call him Silk for a reason,’ he laughed.
“A great player, that speaks for itself. What is he, a four time premiership player?
“You watch him when the game is tight. It’s head to head, last quarter and you can see Clarko go ‘Righto, let’s put silk in the middle of the ground and let him loose, and the next minute he kicks two and the Hawks get up again.’”
A founding member of the AFL Players’ Indigenous Advisory Board, Burgoyne’s off-field work is significant, Fairfax calling him the AFL’s ‘foremost indigenous voice’ when he was appointed as Chair in March, 2016.
“He’s lead the way in the space in looking after Indigenous players and having a really strong, cultural pathway,” Goodes said.
“He’s been a great strength for Hawthorn in being able to get their indigenous players in the space they need to play great footy like Cyril (Rioli) and (Bradley) Hill, and the guys they’ve had in the past.”
3. David Wirrpanda
Remarkably, Wirrpanda holds the record for the youngest player to ever pull on a West Coast Eagles guernsey when he debuted in 1996 at just 16-years-old.
One the one hand he’s an All-Australian and a key member of the Eagles’ 2006 premiership team, but it’s only half the Wirrpanda story. For Goodes, it’s fitting that ‘Wirra’ is acknowledged in the round named after his uncle, Sir Doug Nicholls, a man the 36-year-old told PerthNow had been a ‘benchmark’ his whole life.
Wirrpanda set up the Wirrpanda Foundation in 2005 to improve the quality of life for indigenous people across the four pillars of education, employment, justice and sport.
“I loved him as a player, and I’m full of admiration for what he has done with the Wirrpanda Foundation over the last decade. Through his work he’s made genuine strides in closing the gap, and he’s done it by empowering local Aboriginal role models to make a difference.”
“His uncle would be proud of him, and I’m proud of him.”
2. Michael O’Loughlin
A 303-game veteran of the Sydney Swans Football Club, a premiership player and a member of the AFL’s Indigenous Team of the Century, O’Loughlin’s impact on-field ranks with the greats, but for Goodes, it’s his position as an indigenous leader off the field that he’d rather talk about.
“Although you haven’t seen much in the media, what he’s been able to achieve off-field post career deserves recognition,” he said.
O’Loughlin is a co-founder of the GO Foundation along with Brett’s brother Adam, a program that provides education scholarships for indigenous children, as well as founding CMC Indigenous Services, a cleaning and property maintenance company that has created countless opportunities for the indigenous community.
“Obviously he’s done a lot of work with the GO Foundation but he’s created this indigenous owned and operated company from scratch and it’s flourishing.
“So what he’s been able to achieve in the business world is just as important as what he’s been able to achieve on the footy field.
“Because now he’s not only a mentor for his on-field achievements, but off-field as well with all he’s been able to achieve. You can’t help but look up to him for those reasons as well.”
1. Adam Goodes
It was one of Brett Goodes’ proudest moments in football, when Western Bulldogs captain Robert Murphy tossed the coin before the Club’s Round 18 clash with Essendon wearing his brother Adam’s number 37 jumper.
It was a show of support for Goodes when the booing saga of 2015 was engulfing the former Sydney champion.
A few years have passed since that time and though it might be difficult to recall the intensity of the storm surrounding Goodes at the time, Brett remembers it well.
“I remember opening the paper one day and the first six pages in the Herald Sun or something, they were all about him and the booing, and on the seventh page there had been a bomb go off in Syria and all of these people had died,” he recalled.
“I just couldn’t get my head around it.”
What makes Adam a hero in his brother’s eyes is that he stood up for what he believed in at great personal cost, and the fact that it’s because of him that the national conversation around racism and indigenous disadvantage continues to this day.
“He was doing work in this space way before any of this happened to him, but this unfortunate situation created an opportunity,” he said.
“He could have just stepped away and said, ‘this is too hard, it’s hurting me personally, and I don’t need to put myself in this situation any more,’ but he didn’t.
“There’s a gap that’s there for our people in all areas, life expectancy the main one, he could have easily stepped away, but instead, he took it on, embraced it, and now he’s this great spokesman for our people.”
Michael O’Loughlin probably summed it up best when he spoke to Fairfax in 2015.
"If it's not Adam and it's not me talking about it, who is it?"
"Do we leave it to other people? We have a profile, we're fortunate to make a career out of AFL footy and the lessons we've learned along the way.”
Despite retiring in 2015 after 372 games, two Brownlow’s and two premierships Goodes’ work in the community lives on through the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation (ALNF).
Honourable mentions: Jason Mifsud, Chris Johnson, Andrew McLeod, Roger Hayden, Gavin Wanganeen, Nathan Lovett-Murray, Xavier Clarke, Michael Johnson, Lance Franklin, Cyril Rioli, Aaron Davey, Belinda Duarte (non-playing), Paul Vandenbergh (non-playing).
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Re: Closing the Gap: Brett Goodes on footy and Aboriginal Australia
Who were your favourite Indigenous players that played for us?
Mine are:
1. Lally Bamblett - excitement machine, kicked 50 plus in 1985
2. Magic Mclean - A superstar player that never received the accolades of other players.
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Re: Closing the Gap: Brett Goodes on footy and Aboriginal Australia
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Originally Posted by
bornadog
Who were your favourite Indigenous players that played for us?
Mine are:
1. Lally Bamblett - excitement machine, kicked 50 plus in 1985
2. Magic Mclean - A superstar player that never received the accolades of other players.
Unfortunately the list falls away fairly quickly after them ... we've enjoyed so few.
Magic the standout for me. Felt good looking at the side on paper and seeing him on one wing and Hawk on the other.
Had high hopes for Koops but erm, oh well ...
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Re: Closing the Gap: Brett Goodes on footy and Aboriginal Australia
The other indigenous player to have a substantial impact for us was Jarrod Harbrow who was an important member of our late '00s finals teams as an attacking defender.
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Re: Closing the Gap: Brett Goodes on footy and Aboriginal Australia
Lally. I could happily watch Les Bamblett play footy forever.
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Re: Closing the Gap: Brett Goodes on footy and Aboriginal Australia
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Originally Posted by
Rocket Science
Unfortunately the list falls away fairly quickly after them ... we've enjoyed so few.
Magic the standout for me. Felt good looking at the side on paper and seeing him on one wing and Hawk on the other.
Had high hopes for Koops but erm, oh well ...
a shame we don’t have any long term players, most indigenous players had short careers with us
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Re: Closing the Gap: Brett Goodes on footy and Aboriginal Australia
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Originally Posted by
bornadog
a shame we don’t have any long term players, most indigenous players had short careers with us
Aye, it's a source of grim curiosity we haven't been able to successfully develop more indigenous players.
That you're probably forced to cite the likes of Josh Hill & Cam Faulkner after the trio above is evidence enough.
Nicky Winmar wore our jumper once or twice.
Ooh, and remember that brief but explosive purple patch Mark West had?
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Re: Closing the Gap: Brett Goodes on footy and Aboriginal Australia
I think it's very rare, if you come from the outback living it's hard to get used to living in the big city , especially when family are all back home living the way you were bought up.
For example how long would we last living their lifestyle, I give credit to them even trying to live in a world they have never encountered before and like us we would want to go home after living their lifestyle.
It's not about which is better because the better is living with family and friends.
The guys that so called made it playing football gave up lifestyle,home, Diet , family and friends to do it , a huge sacrifice which should be recognised more than the footy in reality.
Our world which is ruled by the clock (I detest ) against a world of hunting and a more relaxed life . If I was bought up indigenous no way could I settle in our world it's pretty bad really. We think our lifestyle is above all others it's not by a long way.
I am fully understanding of how we have treated the owners of Australia we can't take it back its history but let's not destroy it more and recognise these people and help them live the way they were bought up. I fully support the indigenous being recognised and not losing their way of life, it can't be intergrated with one another we are polar opposites but it can be respected and we should be proud of the culture.
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Re: Closing the Gap: Brett Goodes on footy and Aboriginal Australia
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Rocket Science
Ooh, and remember that brief but explosive purple patch Mark West had?
When we finally find a good one injuries take them down. We're cursed.
Had hopes for Koby Stevens as well.
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Re: Closing the Gap: Brett Goodes on footy and Aboriginal Australia
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Originally Posted by
Mofra
When we finally find a good one injuries take them down. We're cursed.
Had hopes for Koby Stevens as well.
and Liam Jones :D
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Re: Closing the Gap: Brett Goodes on footy and Aboriginal Australia
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ledge
I think it's very rare, if you come from the outback living it's hard to get used to living in the big city , especially when family are all back home living the way you were bought up.
For example how long would we last living their lifestyle, I give credit to them even trying to live in a world they have never encountered before and like us we would want to go home after living their lifestyle.
It's not about which is better because the better is living with family and friends.
The guys that so called made it playing football gave up lifestyle,home, Diet , family and friends to do it , a huge sacrifice which should be recognised more than the footy in reality.
Our world which is ruled by the clock (I detest ) against a world of hunting and a more relaxed life . If I was bought up indigenous no way could I settle in our world it's pretty bad really. We think our lifestyle is above all others it's not by a long way.
I am fully understanding of how we have treated the owners of Australia we can't take it back its history but let's not destroy it more and recognise these people and help them live the way they were bought up. I fully support the indigenous being recognised and not losing their way of life, it can't be intergrated with one another we are polar opposites but it can be respected and we should be proud of the culture.
I agree the culture shock from up North to Whitten oval would be huge but not every indigineous boy comes from the NT. Les Bamblett was from Shepperton. It's colder there than it is here.
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Re: Closing the Gap: Brett Goodes on footy and Aboriginal Australia
I had hopes for Alan Thorpe. I played a few games under him at Healesville when he coached the Indigenous All Stars (who I played for) against various EFL sides. He had x-factor but was lazy, very much like Jake Stringer on the field.
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Re: Closing the Gap: Brett Goodes on footy and Aboriginal Australia
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Twodogs
I agree the culture shock from up North to Whitten oval would be huge but not every indigenous boy comes from the NT. Les Bamblett was from Shepperton. It's colder there than it is here.
Technically Lemnos, just outside Shepp
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Re: Closing the Gap: Brett Goodes on footy and Aboriginal Australia
Quote:
Originally Posted by
bornadog
Technically Lemnos, just outside Shepp
It's still bloody cold.
There are probably more now but back in the day I would have thought we wold recruit more indigineous players from the metro area than from the NT.
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Re: Closing the Gap: Brett Goodes on footy and Aboriginal Australia
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Re: Closing the Gap: Brett Goodes on footy and Aboriginal Australia
Easton's gotta work on his lower core strength more.
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Re: Closing the Gap: Brett Goodes on footy and Aboriginal Australia
Does anyone know if there a story behind the design?
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Re: Closing the Gap: Brett Goodes on footy and Aboriginal Australia
No. But in Wurundjeri and many other tribal areas a round symbol like that means a journey and it looks like a number of journeys are connected potentially implying a series of individual journeys which are (joined), as part of a collective whole - our club.
Bevo is often going on about our journey so it may have been the core directive to the artist.
The footprints support the journey hypothesis.
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Re: Closing the Gap: Brett Goodes on footy and Aboriginal Australia
Indigenous jumper design a dream come true
Troy Daniel
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The design of this year’s Indigenous Round guernsey, revealed on Tuesday night at the Western Bulldogs annual Community Foundation dinner, came to 16-year-old Wurundjeri –Yorta Yorta artist, Cooper Craig-Peters in a dream.Craig-Peters’ Bulldogs roots run deep.
He’s a graduate of both the Western Bulldogs Community Foundation’s Leadership Project (formerly Whitten Project) and Nallei-jerring Koori Youth Leadership Program, and is a member of the Club’s Next Generation Academy, and shared his story back in 2017 through his #RealStrength story on the Dogs website.
“I slept for a couple of hours and in my dream I pictured this guernsey,” he told westernbulldogs.com.au
“I woke up straight away and went straight into the study and started drawing my design up and it came out just perfectly, the way I wanted it to.”
The end result is universal story of a self-discovery expressed through art.
“Each circle represents what I've been through, an important part of me,” Craig-Peters explained.
“The bigger circle represents losing a loved one, achieving something I have never achieved before in my footy, in my academic ability and the little ones are just little goals I've done to change my character
“The white lines are the path that I've gone through to each on, and (the footprints) represent my ancestors, not just mine, our people's ancestors, where they've walked and how we look at them and see where they've been.”
Craig-Peters said he still can’t believe it’s his name that will now join a long list of Indigenous artists who have had their design adorn AFL guernseys on what’s become a significant weekend for both Indigenous people and the wider community in general.
“It's still surreal, I still think I'm dreaming. It feels so great and I feel so warm inside to have my actual design on this guernsey.
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Re: Closing the Gap: Brett Goodes on footy and Aboriginal Australia
I never remember my dreams.
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Re: Closing the Gap: Brett Goodes on footy and Aboriginal Australia
Yes Lally & Magic. Life wasn't easy in the vfl environment in those days. I remember Magic recounting that the players would get together for dinner after Thursday night training. One of his teammates was telling a racist joke to which others laughed and he thought "what am i doing here?"
I admired Koby Stevens for getting the most out of himself.
Only for injury, Mark West would have been a beauty.
But it would be nice to recruit one who goes on to have a 10 year career. Come back Zeph.
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Re: Closing the Gap: Brett Goodes on footy and Aboriginal Australia
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Twodogs
It's still bloody cold.
There are probably more now but back in the day I would have thought we wold recruit more indigineous players from the metro area than from the NT.
Its colder in Melbourne than it is in Shepp.
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Re: Closing the Gap: Brett Goodes on footy and Aboriginal Australia
Quote:
Originally Posted by
chef
Its colder in Melbourne than it is in Shepp.
Whitten oval has a weather pattern of its own too.
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Re: Closing the Gap: Brett Goodes on footy and Aboriginal Australia
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Re: Closing the Gap: Brett Goodes on footy and Aboriginal Australia
Charlie Stewart only played one season for us in the early 60's. 1961. He was replaced in the centre by Bob Spargo for the Grand Final. After an impressive only season he left at the start of 1962.
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Re: Closing the Gap: Brett Goodes on footy and Aboriginal Australia
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Rocket Science
Aye, it's a source of grim curiosity we haven't been able to successfully develop more indigenous players.
That you're probably forced to cite the likes of Josh Hill & Cam Faulkner after the trio above is evidence enough.
Nicky Winmar wore our jumper once or twice.
Ooh, and remember that brief but explosive purple patch Mark West had?
I reckon it's selling Nicky a bit short to say he played once or twice for us. He was really good in his 1 year for us, kicked 34 goals in 21 games as a flanker including a few bags of 4. Got a few Browlow votes from memory. He was well into his 30s by then but I was sad he didn't go around one more year.
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Re: Closing the Gap: Brett Goodes on footy and Aboriginal Australia
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Bulldog4life
Charlie Stewart only played one season for us in the early 60's. 1961. He was replaced in the centre by Bob Spargo for the Grand Final. After an impressive only season he left at the start of 1962.
Thanks for posting that B4L. I didn't know about Charlie but will look him up. Maybe our first indigineous player?
I would love to be corrected, but I don't think we have had a single indigineous player play over 40 games with us and finish his VFL/AFL career with us.
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Re: Closing the Gap: Brett Goodes on footy and Aboriginal Australia
Quote:
Originally Posted by
PeanutsPeanuts
I reckon it's selling Nicky a bit short to say he played once or twice for us. He was really good in his 1 year for us, kicked 34 goals in 21 games as a flanker including a few bags of 4. Got a few Browlow votes from memory. He was well into his 30s by then but I was sad he didn't go around one more year.
People slot Wallace and say he wasted a drafr pick on Winmar but I still hold that if Nicky played in that first final on that windy night when his sure ball handling would have been invaluable in 1999 we would have won, and if we won in week one and gone through to the prelim weekend we would have won the flag. Winmar's absence that night was incredibly costly. As was the umpiring when Nathan Brown had his head pulled off in time on in the last two minutes in the goalsquare.
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Re: Closing the Gap: Brett Goodes on footy and Aboriginal Australia
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Twodogs
People slot Wallace and say he wasted a drafr pick on Winmar but I still hold that if Nicky played in that first final on that windy night when his sure ball handling would have been invaluable in 1999 we would have won, and if we won in week one and gone through to the prelim weekend we would have won the flag. Winmar's absence that night was incredibly costly. As was the umpiring when Nathan Brown had his head pulled off in time on in the last two minutes in the goalsquare.
It was even sadder than that. Winmar did play in that first final v WCE, but injured himself before he even got a touch and spent the night on the bench.
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Re: Closing the Gap: Brett Goodes on footy and Aboriginal Australia
Quote:
Originally Posted by
PeanutsPeanuts
It was even sadder than that. Winmar did play in that first final v WCE, but injured himself before he even got a touch and spent the night on the bench.
It was such a Whitten oval night with the conditions too. It would have suited any other Bulldog team down to the ground. But those Wallace coached teams were probably the best skilled, most tradional football teams I've seen play in our colours.
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Re: Closing the Gap: Brett Goodes on footy and Aboriginal Australia
Quote:
Originally Posted by
PeanutsPeanuts
Thanks for posting that B4L. I didn't know about Charlie but will look him up. Maybe our first indigineous player?
I would love to be corrected, but I don't think we have had a single indigineous player play over 40 games with us and finish his VFL/AFL career with us.
Not sure PP. My memory goes no further back than the 60's. He could have been.
