The Indigenous Team of the Century (Australian rules football) was selected to recognise the role of Indigenous Australians in the sport. It was announced in 2005 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first senior game played by an indigenous player, Fitzroy's Joe Johnson.[1][2] The panel's final selection from a short-list of 35 consisted of 24 players, 19 of whom have represented clubs competiting in the elite Victorian/Australian Football League, whilst the remaining five were picked for their record in either the South Australian National Football League or the West Australian Football League. Graham Farmer was named as the team's captain and Barry Cable was selected as the team's coach. Eight of the players were still active in the AFL at the time of being selected.
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| Indigenous Team of the Century (Australian rules football) | |||
| B: | Chris Johnson (Fitzroy, Brisbane) | Darryl White (Brisbane) | Bill Dempsey (West Perth) |
| HB: | Gavin Wanganeen (Essendon, Port Adelaide) | Adam Goodes (Sydney) | Norm McDonald (Essendon) |
| C: | Peter Matera (South Fremantle, West Coast) | Maurice Rioli (South Fremantle, Richmond) | Michael Long (Essendon) |
| HF: | Nicky Winmar (South Fremantle, St Kilda, Western Bulldogs) | Stephen Michael (South Fremantle) | Syd Jackson (East Perth), (Carlton) |
| F: | Chris Lewis (Claremont, West Coast) | Michael O'Loughlin (Sydney) | Jim Krakouer (Claremont, North Melbourne, St Kilda) |
| Foll: | Graham Farmer (Captain) (East Perth, Geelong) | Andrew McLeod (Adelaide) | Barry Cable (Perth, East Perth, North Melbourne) |
| Int: | Michael McLean (Footscray, Brisbane) | Byron Pickett (North Melbourne, Port Adelaide, Melbourne) | Michael Graham (Sturt) |
| David Kantilla (South Adelaide) | Ted Kilmurray (East Perth) | Peter Burgoyne (Port Adelaide) | |
| Coach: | Barry Cable (former coach of North Melbourne) | ||
An umpire, Glenn James, was also selected.[3][4]
The Indigenous Team of the Century selection panel consisted of:
The AFL announces a AFL Team of the Century in 1996, which also featured Graham Farmer in the lead ruck position. Other ethinic based teams such as the Greek Team of the Century and VFL/AFL Italian Team of the Century have also been announced. Many individual clubs have also named teams of the century,[5] with South Fremantle Football Club announcing their own Indigenous Team of the Century in July 2009.[6] The National Rugby League announced their Indigenous Team of the Century in 2008.[7]