Lavender ? You sure ?
Yep
I’m pretty sure that is right. There was talk about it when he was picked up
100%
He was interviewed before the Dreamtime game. Lavender helped pick the Dreamtime jumper design. Grew up doing indigenous art with his grandmother.
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Fair enough.
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Zerks not
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Ok. Vaguely remember you thinking he might be. Interesting clarification.
It’s not just about producing footballers for Essendon, we as a club, continue to be a leader in providing support. Geelong has provided Tim Kelly with the opportunity but not the off field support, they haven’t got their balance right.
There’s a spirit in the sky.
That’s where I’m going to go, I believe, when I die.
You reckon Geelong has not provided enough support for Tim Kelly ? Clubs usually have a good track record in this space and ultimately the individual has to do some things by themselves .
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I’d also argue that our lads already had good support around them long before they got to the club.
Interesting statement by Martin Flanagan at the 47.00 minute mark of this podcast.
He was a great fan of how Sheedy revolutionised the game, when he increased dramatically the recruitment of Aboriginal players and seems to be disappointed in how things have turned at the club.
It is a short aside, but as Martin says, “it is a pretty amazing aside”.
It was also somewhere in this or the next episode that they talk about the importance of being a part of a group of Aboriginal players in the team, for Aboriginal players to be able to play to their full potential.
We do have a great list, but it would be even better if we could address our lack of depth of wingers and small forwards with some more Aboriginal players.
There was a good reason for us to found the Dreamtime Game, given there were only 28
Aboriginal players in the VFL in the 100 plus years before Michael Long (then followed by Wanganeen, Kickett and Cockatoo-Collins and another 20 or so since) at the club, and only one Aboriginal player at Essendon before him (Norm MacDonald 40 years before).
l hope there is good reason for us to keep the Dreamtime Game in the future, or are we destined for a McDonald (Tipungwuti) to be our only significant Aboriginal talent for the next 40 years.
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Here’s something that happened under Sheedy’s watch:
Wanganeen and Cockatoo-Collins went to Port, Dale Kickett went to Freo and Derek went to Sydney.
And you know what? That’s okay.
The league changed.
So perhaps we should keep that in mind when we compare the early nineties to now.
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EFC are pioneers in providing footballing opportunities and being renown in Australia for the support it has provided indigenous people.
We’re not leaders. We’re not average or about standard.
We are one of the worst in the league.
If the club is satisfied with that, then that’s just the way it is. They seem to get agitated when you want to have a conversation about it.
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Again, pioneers at trading indigenous players to other clubs, too.
More recently pioneers at signing players whose English isn’t great.
Tippa and McKenna.
The first two wanted to go home, so did Dale, Dekka just wanted out
■■■■ argument
Not an argument, simply a fact.
As well as pointing out that they now had a home to go to.
Context of the time, which is ridiculously absent from the original premise.
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This is a good point. I’m fine or at least accepted we aren’t about that anymore.
The thing that makes me incredibly sad, is I look at what now seems like the book ends of the chapter in our club, it starts with Michael Long, a shy kid from the Tiwi who wound up being one of the clubs greats and one of the most influential Indigenous Australians in modern history and it seems to end with another shy kid from the Tiwi who I feel could end up a special voice himself.
Up until Tippa remote guys where viewed in the same eyes as Relton. Now Adam is going to get a chance that wouldn’t have happens if it wasn’t for Walla. a door is opening.
Is it so bad that I just want us to have exclusive access to that pipeline?
Yeah, it is, pretty much.
Thought the first bookend was Norm McDonald - Maybe I should rewrite history.