DARREN MONCRIEFF
Thursday 5 April 2012
THE past few weeks have been the most tumultuous in Indigenous AFL football since perhaps that shameful day at Victoria Park in 1993.
Unlike that incident, however, where St Kilda's Nicky Winmar raised his jumper and pointed at his black skin in proud defiance of racist hecklers, this episode has come from within.
As for storms in tea cups, this one's become a cyclone that's broken the china.
In a nutshell, here's what's happened:
* A club official (Matt Rendell), in conversation with the AFL's most senior Indigenous employee (Jason Mifsud), has lost his job after having said his club won't recruit Indigenous players from remote communities;
* Around the same time, Mifsud was allegedly told by a senior Indigenous AFL footballer (speculated to be Melbourne's Aaron Davey) that his first-year coach (Mark Neeld) met with the club's Indigenous players as a group, not one-on-one as he had done with the rest of the club's players;
* Mifsud has relayed that conversation with his friend, a former AFL coach-turned-commentator (Grant Thomas);
* Thomas has made that conversation public;
* Neeld has consistently denied doing what was said of him;
* Mifsud has offered to resign but has instead been reprimanded by the AFL;
* Neeld has said doesn't know, neither cares, if it was Davey who told what he was alleged to have done to Mifsud;
* Davey continues to deny it was him.
In the meantime, blackfellas across the country at footy's grassroots are left in a state of ongoing bemusement, and embarrassment.
The AFL has long been the standard-bearer in championing the cause of Indigenous Australia in Australian sport -- through the game itself and football-related initiatives that seek to increase opportunities for our people.
But here's the thing: While us blackfellas have had a lot to overcome, in life and in football, and while the work and resources the AFL have put into improving our lot on the field is beyond question, in this episode we are left wondering if the hard work we put in at our end of the table is worth the personal sacrifice.
If integrity, stability and certainty from the top does not exist, we will lose confidence in what we are striving for; we will shy away from the very organisation we seek sporting, sometimes life, guidance from.
One can only speculate what other effects this has had.
The kid from Billiluna with scorching talent to burn may now realise why he wasn't picked in the AFL draft.
The dad from the suburbs who burns hundreds of kilometres worth of fuel each week for his son's training and games may wonder if his money could be better spent at home.
The regional development officers in remote areas could be left wondering if their words of encouragement to talented youngsters to strive for something higher now ring hollow.
The city kid on the verge of being drafted could begin to feel more than apprehensive about what sort of club environment he will find himself in.
The kid with interests across several football codes begins to think that AFL won't be the most culturally supportive environment.
It can run that deep.
But it's also the backlash, the turning away of public sentiment in football, that will worry those mature enough to see the big picture.
Scratch the surface enough on what Australians really think about Indigenous Australia and you would find a sizeable percentage of the population say we get enough taxpayer-funded resources as it is. This sentiment can be found on record.
So why spend all this AFL money on Indigenous-specific roles, causes and resources when struggling clubs could do with a bit of help to stay afloat?
It works both ways because AFL clubs often long used Indigenous-specific resources and funds from State and Federal governments to improve their own infrastructure, be it remote area programs, or in bricks and mortar like what Richmond and North Melbourne have built in recent times.
What the last three weeks have shown is that there is so much more to do in terms of welfare, well-being, recruitment, retention and, just as importantly, transitioning in and out of the AFL for blackfellas.
Perhaps those all-important KPIs have been ticked off on but the real work has been neglected, or not as well understood.
Actions need to speak for the words that seem to reflect ignorance and intolerance for real reconciliation and harmony to work.
AboriginalFootball@westnet.com.au
Last Modified on 05/04/2012 22:03