Hey guys.
Interesting thread.
I do not wish to speak in secrets, so I won’t, but the amount of time and effort the club is putting into NGA’s in West Arnhem and Tiwi surely will speak for itself. The fact that the club now has a board seat at the Tiwi Bombers surely shows our commitment to growing and creating pathways in the islands. Our entire AFLW proposal was based around creating a pathway for our Tiwi and West Arnhem girls coming to the club.
I can understand frustrations around perceived lack of drafting of indigenous kids, but surely we draft for talent and missing skill at the club? I am sure that everyone hopes that the numbers will start to turn soon. The JHA has recently opened it’s doors to NGA kids also, and I believe there is a fair few indigenous kids in that intake also, as well as multicultural kids.
To say the club is risk adverse in drafting doesn’t take into account Eades, Gach Nyuon and to some extent, even Stringer this year.
There are some big things coming for the NGA program, some included in the plans at Tullamarine that I can’t speak about yet (though Xavier may have mentioned them…)
The club has challenged itself to push for a stretch RAP with really strong commitments to the local and national Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander communities that is currently with Reconciliation Australia for approval (and I’m hoping we get).
I think to suggest there is something deeper going on at the club when it comes to indigenous affairs is pretty unfair, if I’m honest.