{"id":777158,"date":"2026-07-03T20:31:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T20:31:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/777158\/"},"modified":"2026-07-03T20:31:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T20:31:16","slug":"more-harm-than-good-the-flaw-in-the-afls-plan-that-has-indigenous-icons-worried","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/777158\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018More harm than good\u2019: The flaw in the AFL\u2019s plan that has Indigenous icons worried"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Two of the game\u2019s greatest Indigenous players have warned that the AFL\u2019s move to expand playing lists to make room for an extra Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander could prove tokenistic and provide only a \u201csugar hit\u201d to boost declining numbers across the competition.<\/p>\n

Shaun Burgoyne and Eddie Betts told this masthead that a key platform of the game\u2019s recently unveiled First Nations strategy could do more harm than good while failing to address the alarming drop-off of Indigenous footballers across the country\u2019s football pathways.<\/p>\n

\"BenBen Long, Eddie Betts, Shaun Burgoyne and Daniel Rioli at a game in Darwin last year.AFL Photos<\/p>\n

Burgoyne, the 407-game four-time premiership player, said that while the AFL\u2019s new strategy had some merit, it lacked detail and depth.<\/p>\n

\u201cNumbers are declining and careers are shorter, and while the extra category B rookie spot will provide a sugar-hit and the numbers will increase, this will only last maybe for a year,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey could have done more work on the issue, I believe, to make it less tokenistic and more authentic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Burgoyne, Port Adelaide\u2019s Indigenous player development manager, expressed his views in a recent robust meeting with the AFL\u2019s First Nations inclusion general manager Taryn Lee and game development boss Rob Auld.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

He said head office needed to \u201cturbocharge\u201d its work in the AFLW competition. The ambition as put to the AFL Commission late last year was to increase the number of female Indigenous players from 22 to 29 by 2030.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe should be aiming higher,\u201d said Burgoyne. \u201cWe can make a team of ladies from Ireland to play representative football but not a team of Indigenous ladies. Don\u2019t get me wrong. I love the Irish contribution to our game, but that is an indictment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related Article\"AFL<\/a><\/p>\n

Betts, a champion of 350 games for Carlton and Adelaide, added: \u201cI\u2019m worried this could do more damage than good. I think personally the perception of Indigenous people is that they\u2019re always being given stuff whether it be housing or benefits, or other handouts.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow it\u2019s rookie spots. I want a young kid to be in there because he\u2019s worked his arse off, and he deserves it. Not because he\u2019s black.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe way we get more kids drafted is equity in the pathways, starting from under-15s.\u201d<\/p>\n

And AFL Players Association boss James Gallagher said that while the extra list spot \u201cmay have tactical merit, it is not, on its own, a solution.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite these misgivings, the AFL remains determined to push through the extra list spot in time for the 2026 national draft. This would require a negotiation with the AFLPA, given that the playing list structure \u2013 which currently provides for two category B rookies per club \u2013 falls under the current collective bargaining agreement<\/p>\n

Gallagher said the AFLPA shared the AFL\u2019s ambition of increasing Indigenous players across both the AFL and AFLW.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\u201cThat starts with ensuring they have the same workplace experience and career opportunities as their non-Indigenous peers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe continue to take advice from our Indigenous advisory board on the merits of an additional list spot. While it may have tactical merit, it is not, on its own, a solution. Our priority remains ensuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players have the same opportunity to build long and successful careers as their non-Indigenous peers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"YoungYoung fans pose for the camera ahead of the Suns\u2019 clash with the Saints in Darwin back in May.AFL Photos<\/p>\n

The AFL subcommittee looking at the mechanics of increasing Indigenous footballers at the elite level meets on Thursday to debate whether the extra rookie spot should come with additional soft-cap funding for host families, travel and cultural support at clubs.<\/p>\n

Editor’s pick\"Sonny<\/a><\/p>\n

The subcommittee\u2019s initial make-up \u2013 including only three Indigenous members and lacking representation from Queensland, the Northern Territory, NSW, and having only minimal representation from WA \u2013 drew disappointment and criticism from some of the game\u2019s most decorated First Nations footballers.<\/p>\n

The panel has since been expanded to include new members, such as Geelong\u2019s Indigenous player development manager Brett Goodes and David Chippendale, the former Melbourne Football Club executive who recently took on a key \u2013 AFL-funded \u2013 role at the Eddie Betts Foundation.<\/p>\n

Taryn Lee has in recent weeks unveiled details of the strategy, including adding an extra category B rookie spot to 16 of the 18 clubs. The move has been met with predominantly cautious optimism, despite some misgivings about under-funded junior football programs and a lack of resources at some clubs.<\/p>\n

While Indigenous stars, including Shai Bolton, Jason Horne-Francis and Kysaiah Pickett, continue to dominate the competition, First Nations numbers sit at a two-decade low, falling from 64 to 62 this season. More alarmingly the recent WA under-16 carnival did not feature any Indigenous players.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The immediate futures of Norm Smith medallist Bobby Hill and one-time all-Australian Tyson Stengle look in doubt beyond 2026 as their circumstances and personal problems have spiralled.<\/p>\n

Despite cautious support for the strategy three club football bosses \u2013 who did not want to be named \u2013 said the AFL remained overly defensive regarding the sensitive nature of Indigenous playing numbers, and they remain concerned league bosses still failed to adequately prioritise the First Nations pathways.<\/p>\n

Former AFL diversity executive Tanya Hosch, who departed the game in acrimonious circumstances last year, frustrated club recruiters when she questioned their failure to select Indigenous footballers in adequate numbers. The response indicated that the AFL had failed to support the pathways and that cultural failings existed at junior levels despite the warning signs that intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

Related Article\"Lachie<\/a><\/p>\n

Betts said he feared Indigenous rookies would struggle at certain clubs if they were not adequately resourced culturally.<\/p>\n

\u201cA teenaged rookie goes to St Kilda and there\u2019s Brad [Hill], Nas [Wanganeen-Milera] and Liam [Ryan], and he feels safe,\u201d he said. \u201cNot every club has that.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the AFL has mandated that every club must engage an Indigenous player development manager for a minimum of three days a week, some clubs have preferred a different model, or have struggled to fill the role.<\/p>\n

Hawthorn are still searching for a replacement for Jamie Bennell and the Western Bulldogs have engaged Betts\u2019 foundation while they continue their search.<\/p>\n

The AFL was contacted for comment.<\/p>\n

Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\"CarolineCaroline Wilson<\/a> is a Walkley award-winning columnist and former chief football writer for The Age.Connect via email<\/a>.From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":777159,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,64,63,55,639,85],"class_list":["post-777158","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-afl","tag-afl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australian-football-league","tag-australianfootballleague","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777158","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=777158"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777158\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/777159"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=777158"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=777158"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=777158"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}