DARREN MONCRIEFF
Sunday 25 September, 2011
THE AFL Grand Final between Collingwood and Geelong next Saturday could feature up to six Aboriginal footballers.
Crucially, all those players -- Leon Davis, Andrew Krakouer, Sharrod Wellingham (Collingwood), Allen Christensen, Mathew Stokes and Travis Varcoe (Geelong) -- played in their sides' respective preliminary finals this weekend and all had meaningful contributions.
Davis, in particular, stood tall for the Magpies in their thrilling three-point win over Hawthorn on Friday night.
The elusive defender racked up 23 disposals and used the majority of them well on a night when pressure-free possessions were at a premium.
Christensen for the Cats caught the eye in yesterday's match against West Coast, with his two goals and lively display troubling the Eagles defence.
Should the six retain their places, it will match the most amount of Aboriginal players in AFL grand finals, and will be the third such occurrence of six players in the season decider.
The last time there were a half-dozen players was in the 2008 grand final between Hawthorn (4) and Geelong (2) -- Chance Bateman, Lance Franklin, Mark Williams and Cyril Rioli (Hawthorn) and Mathew Stokes and Travis Varcoe (Geelong).
The record was set in the 2004 grand final between Port Adelaide (4) and Brisbane (2) when brothers Peter and Shaun Burgoyne, Byron Pickett and Gavin Wanganeen (Port Adelaide) and Chris Johnson and Darryl White (Brisbane) played.
AboriginalFootball@westnet.com.au
Last Modified on 25/09/2011 10:33