Were you one of the 38,498 football fans who turned out to watch the Sydney Swans beat North Melbourne in Marn Grook at the SCG? Have you wondered why the Swans celebrate Marn Grook in the AFL’s Indigenous Round each year? Next month, the Marn Grook connection will be explained in a documentary set to air on TEN.
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 invent Australian Rules Football.
Wills was born in NSW in 1835. He spent much of his life in the company of Aboriginal people and could speak multiple Indigenous languages. After observing Marn Grook, Wills believed it would be the perfect way for cricketers to keep fit in winter. His observations led him to codify the game.
Wills was a highly talented football and cricket player who played both sports for the newly formed state of Victoria, making him a state hero and celebrity. He was known as an egalitarian, both on and off the field and would play sport with anyone from any background. Today, Wills is viewed as a brilliant and unifying figure in Australia's history, and a force for reconciliation in the mid 1800’s.
Wills’ story was ultimately tragic but the power of it hasn’t diminished after 130 years. What’s incredible is that for a country that loves its sport and sporting stars so dearly, it’s inexplicable that Tom Wills has largely gone forgotten by the sporting community and Australian public. Until now.
A documentary on the story of Tom Wills is due to air August 7 on TEN. You can watch the trailer here.
The Tom Wills documentary was produced by Guilty Content and created with the input of notable individuals from academia and sport including Ray Weinberg, Greg de Moore, David Nadel, Dr Sean Gorman, Martin Flanagan and many more.
The Tom Wills story has also been told by Greg De Moore in his novel ‘Tom Wills: First wild man of Australian Sport’. The book is available through publishers Allen and Unwin: https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/books/general-books/biography-autobiography/Tom-Wills-Greg-de-Moore-9781742375984
