Dreamtime at the 'G

Dreamtime at the 'G

Locale	Melbourne, Victoria
First meeting	2005
Latest meeting	30 May 2015
Next meeting	28 May 2016
Broadcasters	Network Ten (2005-2011) Seven Network (2012-present)
Statistics
Most wins	Essendon (6 wins)

Dreamtime at the 'G is an annual Australian rules football match between Australian Football League clubs Essendon and Richmond.

The name of the match comes from Australian Aboriginal mythology The Dreaming or Dreamtime and the Australian, but more specifically Victorian, colloquial reference to the Melbourne Cricket Ground, "the 'G", where the match takes place.

Since the 2007 season the match has been held on Saturday night of the AFL's Indigenous Round.

The winning club is awarded the "Kevin Sheedy Cup" and the best player on the ground is awarded the "Yiooken Award".

This annual match (which is part of the AFL Indigenous Round) was broadcast on Network Ten, being part of their 'Saturday Night Football'/'Dreamtime at the G' coverage; usually hosted by Stephen Quartermain, until the network were outbid for the television rights for the 2012–16 seasons inclusive; the Seven Network now televise the match as part of its expanded AFL coverage. Therefore, the match every year until the present has been called by their Saturday Night Footy team headed by former VFL player Brian Taylor along with Luke Darcy, Matthew Richardson, Cameron Ling, Samantha Lane and Peter Larkins.

History

Dreamtime at the 'G was first held in 2005, with the aim being to celebrate the contribution of all Indigenous players to the AFL.^[1] It was held during NAIDOC Week.^[2]

From 2006, the Yiooken Award has been awarded to the player judged best on ground in the match.^[3] In 2007, following the success of the Dreamtime at the 'G match in 2005 and 2006, the AFL nominated a specific Indigenous Round (round 9) which has become an annual event in which the Dreamtime at the 'G match takes centre stage.

Notable matches

• Round 6, 2006 saw Richmond escape with a two-point victory over Essendon after Jarrad Oakley-Nicholls scored the match winning behind with minutes remaining in the final quarter.
• Round 9, 2007: With just under five minutes remaining, Richmond had a 12-point lead, which was pulled back by Essendon to level the match at 84-apiece (Richmond 12.12.(84) - Essendon 11.18.(84)). Tigers full-forward Matthew Richardson thought he had kicked the match winning goal but it was pulled back, and a fifty-metre penalty was awarded, after Richardson had pushed his opponent in the back prior to kicking the goal. Essendon kicked the last 1.2.(8) of the match to win the game by eight points and deny Richmond what would have been their first win of the 2007 season.

The Long Walk

The match is associated with the pre-game ritual "The Long Walk",^[4] which is a charity inspired by Indigenous former Essendon player Michael Long, who walked to Canberra in 2004 to get the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people back on the national agenda. On the day of the Dreamtime game, The Long Walk hold a community celebration featuring entertainment and activities as well as community organisation information stalls. Prior to the Dreamtime match, Long, and several other thousand participants walk from Federation Square to the Melbourne Cricket Ground to promote reconciliation. In 2013, over 15,000 participants walked to the MCG. 2014 marks The Long Walk's 10th anniversary.

Curtain Raiser

A curtain-raiser match is held between two Indigenous football teams from around Australia and its territories.

Pre-match ceremony

Each year the game is preceded by an extravagant indigenous-based music and entertainment show. Performers in 2008 included Paul Kelly and Kev Carmody.

Match results

Wins

Essendon: 6

Richmond: 5

Kevin Sheedy Cup

In 2005 Richmond and Essendon first competed for the Kevin Sheedy Cup.^[17] The cup has continued to be awarded to the winner of each Dreamtime at the 'G game.

Sheedy has a strong connection with both Essendon and Richmond, having played 251 games for Richmond including their 1969, 1973 and 1974 Premiership teams. He won the 1976 best & fairest award, captained the club in 1978, was named on their Team of the Century at left back-pocket and inducted into the Richmond Hall of Fame in 2002. He retired in 1979. He then went on to coach Essendon from 1981 to 2007, amassing 635 games as coach and led the club to Premierships in 1984, 1985, 1993 & 2000. He was named as coach of the Essendon Team of the Century.

See also

• Indigenous Team of the Century
• Indigenous All-Stars (Australian rules football)

References