List of VFL/AFL players of Indigenous Australian descent

Since the Victorian Football League (VFL), which is now known as the Australian Football League (AFL), was formed in 1897, there have been 179 known players of Indigenous Australian heritage that have played in a senior VFL/AFL match. A senior VFL/AFL match is an Australian rules football match between two clubs that are, or have been in the past, members of the VFL/AFL. A senior VFL/AFL match is played under the laws of Australian football, and includes regular season matches, as well as finals series matches. It does not include pre-season competition matches, interstate matches or international rules football matches. The list is arranged in alphabetical order by surname.

The first recognised Indigenous Australian player to play in a senior VFL/AFL match is Joe Johnson who played 55 games for Fitzroy from 1904 to 1906, and was a member of Fitzroy's dual premiership-winning sides of 1904 and 1905. Gavin Wanganeen (Essendon and Port Adelaide) was the first Indigenous Australian player to play 300 games, and Andrew McLeod is the current record-holder of most games played by an Indigenous player with 328 games for Adelaide from 1995 to 2010.

There was a record number of Indigenous players on AFL lists during the 2009 AFL season with 82 senior and rookie-listed players listed with AFL clubs.[1] This figure surpassed the previous record of 73 players set in the 2008 season.[1]

Contents

Players

Players are listed in alphabetical order, and statistics are for AFL regular season and finals series matches only. "Career span" years are from the season of the player's debut in the AFL to the year in which they played their final game in the AFL and have since been removed from the playing list. Currently listed players are shaded in green, marked with a # and their career span is listed as "(year of debut)–present". Statistics are correct to the end of the 2008 AFL season.
Legend

       # Currently listed players

Name Club(s) Career span Games Goals
Winston Abraham Fremantle, North Melbourne 1995–2001 110 150
Matthew Ahmat Brisbane Lions, Sydney 1991–1994 8 1
Robert Ah Mat Collingwood, Sydney 1995–2001 67 68
Joe Anderson # Carlton 2007–present 9 0
Jarrod Atkinson # Essendon 2008–present 5 2
Les Bamblett Melbourne, Footscray 1983–1988 48 71
Chance Bateman # Hawthorn 2000–present 117 39
Laurie Bellotti West Coast 1999–2000 24 2
Eddie Betts # Carlton 2005–present 75 85
Peter Bird Fitzroy 1995–1996 15 7
Alan Bloomfield North Melbourne 1970–1971 13 7
Ashley Blurton West Coast, Richmond 1995–1999 24 9
Shane Bond West Coast, Port Adelaide 1996–2000 91 31
Troy Bond Carlton, Adelaide 1994–1999 94 77
Peter Burgoyne # Port Adelaide 1997–present 225 189
Shaun Burgoyne # Port Adelaide 2002–present 148 167
Ronnie Burns Geelong, Adelaide 1996–2004 154 262
Norm Byron Fitzroy 1918 2 1

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I

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P

Q

R

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T

U

V

W

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Y

Z

References

  1. ^ a b Murnane, Jason (9 February 2009). "82 Indigenous players on AFL lists in 2009". AFL Players Association (AFLPA). http://aflpa.com.au/articleimage/82-indigenous-players-afl-lists-2009. Retrieved 29 November 2009. 

External links