A dream come true to serve my people
Richard Hinds
Daily Telegraph, Herald Sun, May 25
LANCE Franklin quite literally wears his indigenous heart on his sleeve.
The tattoos on his left arm are a random collection of images he found at a library. An aboriginal elder, a kangaroo, a fire, a tree, a man sitting cross-legged playing the didgeridoo.
It is not a story gleaned from the Noongar lore of his mother’s family but a personal dreaming. Something he pieced together much like he has gradually pieced together and identified with his indigenous heritage.
Identity is often assumed from a name, an accent, a place of birth, the colour of your skin. But sometimes, as you suspect has been the case with Franklin, it must be discovered and explored.
Franklin was born in Perth. His mother, Ursula, is a Kickett — indigenous football royalty. Just football royalty, really. Derek Kickett who played in the Swans 1996 Grand Final team and the much travelled Dale Kickett are just two of the most prominent members of a vast and talented family.
But when he was young, Franklin moved with his parents and three older sisters to the small town of Dowerin, 150 kilometres northeast of Perth, and for a time lost touch with his mother’s family.
“As I’ve matured I’ve got to know a lot more about that side of the family,’’ says Franklin. “But going to the bush like we did, I didn’t get to see them that much.’’
Dedicated to making a difference
Andrew Pridham
Daily Telegraph, May 25
CELEBRATING indigenous culture has long been a passion for all involved with the Sydney Swans.
In 2002, the Sydney Swans pioneered and first played for the Marn Grook Trophy, to celebrate the contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players to our great game.
It was three years after our first Marn Grook match that, in 2005, the AFL first played the “Dreamtime at the ‘G” and later formally adopted Indigenous Round as an annual fixture on the league’s calendar.
Meaning “game ball”, Marn Grook is the name given to the Aboriginal ball game played with a possum skin ball.
The game is widely believed to be what inspired Tom Wills to “codify” or invent Australian rules football in 1859. Wills experienced a complex relationship with the Aboriginal people of his time. They murdered his father but he later coached and captained in cricket an Aboriginal XI — which became the first Aboriginal cricket team to Tour England representing Australia. Tom Wills was a brilliant and unifying figure in Australia’s history.
It is noteworthy that Tom Wills was born in NSW in 1835. He spent much of his life in the company of Aborigines and could even speak their language.
Today, Wills is viewed by scholars as a force of reconciliation between indigenous and non-indigenous people in the mid 1800s.
This year, we are formally launching our game as Marn Grook at the SCG. We want to make the match something truly special. The guernsey to be worn by our players is also very special.
Swans great O’Loughlin names the best of the best in his dream indigenous line-up
Neil Cordy
Daily Telegraph, May 25
WHEN The Daily Telegraph asked Michael O’Loughlin to pick his best indigenous team of the AFL era (1990 to now), we named him at full-forward and asked the Swans great to pick the rest of his line-up.
Picking any team is fraught with danger but picking the best of the best is a minefield.
Which is why O’Loughlin should be given some sort of medal for his efforts.
“I can’t wait for the backlash,” O’Loughlin said.
“There’s always controversy about people and teams but I think the players I’ve named have proven themselves.
“There are players who are unlucky to miss out but I’m very happy with the final outcome.
“Imagine that team running out today.”
Best on ground medal
Neil Cordy
Daily Telegraph, May 25
ADAM Goodes has won most of the medals available in football: two Brownlows (2003, 2006), two premierships (2005, 2012), three Bob Skiltons (Swans best and fairest) and a Rising Star (1999). On Friday night he will get to present one with his name on it.
Along with his great mate Michael O’Loughlin he will get to present the Goodes-O’Loughlin medal for the best on ground in the Sydney versus North Melbourne match at the SCG on Friday night.
“You really know you’re getting old when you get a medal named after you,” O’Loughlin said.
“The medal looks fantastic and it’s brilliant that the design has been inspired by the jumper Adam’s produced.”
Tribute to a man who inspired a generation
Ben Horne
Daily Telegraph, May 25 
From sleeping in empty fruit boxes to copping racial abuse from teammates, and spectators alike, Sir Doug Nicholls was prepared to sacrifice it all for Aboriginal footballers.
So it's fitting recognition that man who inspired a generation has had the AFL's Indigenous Round re-named in his honour.
The boy from the Cummeragunja mission on the Murray River broke down barriers to become just the fourth VFL player to identify as Aboriginal, the first Aboriginal to be selected to represent Victoria, the first Indigenous person to be made governor of an Australian state and the first Inidgenous person to be knighted.
Nicholls’ daughter, Aunty Pam Pedersen, never saw her father play football but she witnessed the powerful example he set standing up for indigenous rights in day-to-day life in the face of tremendous obstacles.
Thankfully, the racial vilification experienced by Nicholls, who represented Fitzroy in the VFL, is almost non-existent in the AFL these days. Nevertheless, Aunty Pam is still concerned about what happens on the other side of the stadium fence — praising the courage of modern day players following in dad’s footsteps.
“I’m very proud of those boys because they have known about the hard road that other Aboriginal people in the past, such as my father and other Aboriginal men, have walked,” she said.
“I’m proud of our young foot-FROM sleeping in empty fruit boxes to copping racial abuse from teammates, opponents and spectators alike, Sir Doug Nicholls was prepared to sacrifice it all for Aboriginal footballers.
Goodes racism row spurred me to act
David Sygall
SMH, May 25
Swans emerging leader Dane Rampe was so moved by his first-hand experience of the impact racism had upon Adam Goodes last season, he decided this year to take a hands-on role in his club's efforts to address issues which affect Indigenous people.
Rampe is continuing his rise to become one of Sydney's most solid defenders but, he says, being in the inner-sanctum while Lance Franklin, Lewis Jetta and, particularly, Goodes, bore enormous pressure amid a heated national discussion over race last year prompted him to become a leading figure in Sydney's Reconciliation Action Plan, or RAP.
Goodes will be at Sydney's Indigenous Round clash with North Melbourne on Friday night at the SCG. In the corresponding match last season his display of cultural pride after scoring a goal against Carlton sparked both outcry and adulation. Relentless taunting from sections of the Perth crowd in a match nearly a month later led Goodes to take time out from the game. He later declined an offer to be part of the annual lap of honour for retiring players at the grand final.
"In the days after the West Coast game, we all understood it affected him a lot, and also Jetts and Buddy. But when he took time off, that's when it really hit home that this is a serious matter and this has gone on too long," Rampe said.
"The boys all had personal conversations with him, as did I, and for me it was just to say to him, 'I'm committed to you and your people to do something about what's going on'. I felt incredibly proud seeing the way he went about it, despite all the turmoil he went through. It was pretty inspiring, just to see what he's about and to see him stand up for what he believes in. There's something to be learnt from that and it's something I'm proud to be part of now."
The RAP, started by the Swans in 2014, sets out accountable undertakings on a range of issues, from increasing Indigenous employment within the club and seeking ways to support Indigenous businesses, to providing clearer pathways for Indigenous players to develop and deeper acknowledgement of Indigenous traditions around the club.
Adam would've played this year
Neil Cordy
Daily Telegraph, May 25
SYDNEY co-captain Jarrad McVeigh believes Adam Goodes would still be playing for the Swans if it wasn’t for the booing that overshadowed his final two seasons in the AFL.
Goodes walked away from the game after Sydney’s semi-final loss last September and avoided the grand final parade for retiring footballers as he struggled to deal with the stress of the booing.
McVeigh is one of Goodes’ closest friends and played 12 seasons alongside the dual Brownlow medallist.
“I’ve got no doubt he might have played again this year if things were different,” McVeigh told The Daily Telegraph.
“The way he played in the finals was really good, he was one of our best players. There was no reason to say he couldn’t have gone on.
“You could see the emotional strain it put on him and you don’t want to see that in a place where he should be celebrated.”
North Melbourne veteran Daniel Wells set to face Sydney Swans
Ronny Lerner
The Age, May 25
North Melbourne look set to be bolstered by the return of star midfielder Daniel Wells for their blockbuster Friday night showdown against Sydney at the SCG.
Wells has missed two games due to an Achilles complaint, but Kangaroos football manager Geoff Walsh said the veteran only needed to get through training this week to be selected.
"Tomorrow [Wednesday] will be our main [training] session and the [medical] report was we expect Daniel to train fully so that's good news and if you get through training, which is what we're looking for, he'll play," Walsh told SEN.
