Indigenous Round will hold a special place for both Richmond and Essendon in the VFL, playing the first Dreamtime VFL game at the Punt Road Oval (ME Bank Centre) in ‘curtain raiser’ to the annual Dreamtime at the G between their AFL sides.
Both clubs have seen Indigenous Round as a great opportunity to celebrate the contribution of Indigenous players to the game, and have connected with past and present Indigenous players by hearing their stories.
On Tuesday players at Richmond heard from Michael Long, Essendon great and founder of the Long Walk a decade ago. This was a fantastic experience for the Richmond Football Club to learn some of the origins of the Indigenous Round from such a role model.
Essendon in their lead up to the match called upon their historical associations and the Indigenous community, with current AFL players, Paddy Ryder, Courtenay Dempsey and Leroy Jetta addressing the VFL team. The players spoke not just about their football journeys but also about their connection to country and community.
Apart from the significance of Indigenous Round, it is a football match that is important for both teams, who have struggled with consistency all year.
Richmond coach Tim Clarke sums up the season so far as disappointing.
“We haven’t won the games that we should have won this year; we’ve been beaten badly in a couple of those games. We struggled at the start of the season to adjust to the tempo of VFL football, under the pressure of a real game, and it’s taken a few weeks to start to crawl back.”
The Bombers have had some similar mixed results. Coach Hayden Skipworth saying, “We’ve been a little bit inconsistent so far. We’ve lost probably three or four close games this season.”
The Tigers will have the services of Ty Vickery this week, who Clarke describes as “an outstanding player (who) approaches the games here with a terrific attitude.”
“The last time he came down he was outstanding for our younger boys. We’re hoping those inclusions will give us bit of a boost.”
Vickery will play a pivotal role in the forward line for the home side.
Richmond have also selected exciting young Indigenous player, Clay McCartney. In his first season in the VFL, McCartney will also have the honour of tossing the coin at the beginning of the match.
“He’s really excited one at the opportunity to play another game of VFL football but to play here on the Dreamtime game in the Indigenous Round, it does mean a lot to him. He’s a quiet kid. He won’t talk much about it but I know it means a lot to him to have an impact in the game. He’ll also get to toss the coin at the start so it will be a really good opportunity for a young guy in his first season of football.”
The Bombers will be looking to utilise the experience of Joe Daniher as he returns to the VFL this week although their changes will not be confirmed until Saturday morning due to some last minute fitness tests still to be carried out.
“They’ll be a lot of good match ups. We’ve got Ariel Steinberg, who’ll probably play on Vickery. Obviously Joe Danniher will be a big matchup. I’m not one hundred percent sure who’ll get him. Maybe Ryan Bathie, Ed Barlow or someone like that. Then the midfield we’ve got Nick O’Brien and Leroy Jetta against Miles and their sort of mids as well so it will be good matchups all over the ground.”
The Indigenous Round continues to grow from strength to strength each year and the inclusion of a match between VFL Richmond and Essendon is a tradition that both teams hope to see continue into the future.
Last Modified on 30/05/2014 23:06