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Legends – The AFL Indigenous Team of the Century 1905-2005
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| Aboriginal players past and present (L to R standing) Aaron Davey of Melbourne, Cyril Rioli of Hawthorn, Shaun Burgoyne of Hawthorn, Austin Wonaeamirri of Melbourne, Chance Bateman of Hawthorn, Neville Jetta of Melbourne, Jamie Bennell of Melbourne, Kelvin Lawrence of Melbourne and Glenn James a former umpire and sitting at front (L to R:) AIATSIS Chairperson Professor Mick Dodson and AFL great Michael Long at the book launch of Legends, The AFL Indigenous Team of the Century. (Photo: John Paul Janke) |
Current Aboriginal AFL players joined past champions at the home of AFL to officially launch a ground breaking book on the AFL’s Indigenous Team of the Century.
Legends – The AFL Indigenous Team of the Century 1905-2005 is published by AIATSIS’ Aboriginal Studies Press and was launched by former Essendon great Michael Long at the MCG on Monday 15 August.
Written by Sean Gorman, a Research fellow at Curtin University's Centre for Aboriginal Studies, Legends is an insightful and powerful study of the team that was named by the AFL in August 2005 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first senior game played by an indigenous player, Fitzroy's Joe Johnson.
It is the first book of Indigenous football and sporting history told by the players, and at its heart is a powerful and engaging social history.
Speaking at the launch, Michael Long expressed his great pleasure in being asked to officially launch the book.
“Legends is a more than a salute to the AFL Indigenous Team of Century,” he said.
“Legends is a rare insight in the stories of our careers and of our achievements whether they be in AFL or VFL Premiership teams, State Representative teams, or playing in the West Australian, South Australian or NT Football Leagues.”
“I know that for many for us modern AFL players, to be called a ‘legend’ in the same category as Polly Farmer, or Syd Jackson, David Kantillia or Maurice Rioli, Steven Michael, ‘Flash’ Graham or Barry Cable is indeed a great honour,” Long said.
Legends derives from research undertaken by Gorman into the AFL’s Anti-vilification laws.
Gorman travelled the length and breadth of the nation to interview the team's living members.
"I have witnessed the redemptive power of football for both black and white Australians," Gorman said.
AIATSIS Professor Mick Dodson AM said the book is an almanac about Indigenous men who have courageously and spectacularly met the challenges of Australian Rules football and succeeded at the very elite level.
“Legends is a story of men who have leveled the field with artistry, magic and sheer brilliance.”
“It so brilliantly provides new perspectives for some readers of books about Australian Rules football –and Indigenous players in particular.”
“With this book, the players tell their own stories about their lives, and this is what drives this narrative, interspersed with Sean’s insights.”
Three of the 'Legends' - Michael Long, Syd Jackson and Glenn James - were able to attending the launch.
Long says that he hopes Legends becomes a ‘must read’ for every Australian – whether they be a sports fan, a school student or someone who just wants to be inspired by some bloody good yarns about deadly footballers.
A point backed by Professor Dodson.
“I hope that through reading this book, others will learn how these players - through their exceptional achievements - became a source of our pride, a mark of our survival, a sign of our strength and a symbol our unique identity.”
“And why for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people - they were more than just a band of brothers of footballers – they are Legends.”
THE INDIGENOUS TEAM OF THE CENTURY
Backs: Chris Johnson (Fitzroy, Brisbane) Darryl White (Brisbane) Bill Dempsey (West Perth)
Half-backs: Gavin Wanganeen (Essendon, Port Adelaide) Adam Goodes (Sydney) Norm McDonald (Essendon)
Centres: Peter Matera (South Fremantle, West Coast) Maurice Rioli (South Fremantle, Richmond) Michael Long (Essendon)
Half-forwards: Nicky Winmar (South Fremantle, St Kilda, Western Bulldogs) Stephen Michael (South Fremantle) Syd Jackson (East Perth), (Carlton)
Forwards: Chris Lewis (Claremont, West Coast) Michael O'Loughlin (Sydney) Jim Krakouer (Claremont, North Melbourne, St Kilda)
Followers: Graham Farmer (Captain) (East Perth, Geelong) Andrew McLeod (Adelaide) Barry Cable (Perth, East Perth, North Melbourne)
Interchange: Michael McLean (Footscray, Brisbane) Byron Pickett (North Melbourne, Port Adelaide, Melbourne) Michael Graham (Sturt) David Kantilla (South Adelaide) Ted Kilmurray (East Perth) Peter Burgoyne (Port Adelaide)
Coach: Barry Cable (former coach of North Melbourne)
Umpire: Glenn James
Click here for a copy of the Speech by Professor Mick Dodson AM.
Legends: The AFL Indigenous Team of the Century, by Sean Gorman, Aboriginal Studies Press, $34.95
ABOUT THE BOOK
Indigenous Australians have given us some of our greatest football champions and Legends will provide sports fans with much to enjoy. With names like Farmer, Winmar, Long, Rioli and Goodes; these stories are some of the most compelling in the game of AFL.
The journey for some has been one of great struggle and difficulty. For them, football was the only way out. Although not every story is the same, collectively there are commonalities that appear and they present a different narrative to the one normally told about Indigenous sportspeople.
All are superb athletes, many having played other sports. Nonetheless, for most, Australian football was the only game in town. However there’s no ‘black magic’ here, simply skill and dedication. The mens’ strong ties to family and community shine through. They could achieve what they set out to do because of the support from their families and community back home.
Another feature is the mens’ acknowledgment of the debt owed by them to the players who went before them: players like Pastor Doug Nicholls and for the younger players, Michael Long and Nicky Winmar. Although they’ve all won many accolades, all were genuinely humbled when chosen to be part of the Team of the Century.
The players describe their lives and sporting achievements, including the way they dealt with racism on and off the field, and the people who helped them achieve success. All the stories are inspirational. From Farmer to McLeod, and Jackson to Matera, these men’s lives are great Australian stories about Aboriginal Football Legends.
SEAN GORMAN has studied and worked in the Indigenous studies field for nearly 20 years. His first book Brotherboys: The Story of Jim and Phillip Krakouer was published in 2005 and was adapted for theatre. He current works as a research fellow at Curtin University at the Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Perth. He is the lead investigator on research into the AFL’s anti-vilification laws and policies.
FROM THE AUTHOR, SEAN GORMAN
In 1992, having finished a stint in the country, working on farms and in shearing teams, I re-entered high school as a mature age student. I was 23. I had to tick a box as to what university course I wanted to do.
In 1993, Murdoch University offered a degree for the first time: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. I still don’t know why I ticked the box but I can honestly say that through that simple action, and having worked with Indigenous Australians since then, my life has been enriched beyond any measure. It seems like the blink of an eye but 18 years later I am still working and studying in the same field. More importantly I am still learning.
My aim with this book is to get people to ask a simple question: if we have a common love of football and we can create positive experiences through it, why can’t this flow through to other areas? If Indigenous and non-Indigenous teammates can work together playing football why can’t these types of relationships filter into other sectors in Australian society?