Why no Indigenous recruits??

[ROK Lobster]

NFI....

Those guys that were here before us....

Kooris are people from what is now NSW and North East Victoria. Most of the indigenous AFL players are from elsewhere (except possibly Tas ). That's my understanding anyhow.

[ernie koala]

Obviously being aboriginal doesn't necessarily make you any special thing as a footballer however it is true to say many aboriginal players who have made it as AFL footballers have exhibited superb afl skills and seemingly "special" talents.As a kid I watched the Krakour brothers in awe! It is not racist to say this as many white or ethnic players have also shown special skills. What would be good for Goodsey and MOL would be to be able to role model and talk the talk with some indigenous recruits. It is no different to Tadh helping Murphy..there are things with people of your own culture that are easy to convey and communicate.Also its easy for youngsters to identify with someone of their own culture. Therefore as this thread kind of suggest,it would be good to recruit indigenous players just so that the special relationship with MOL and Goodsey could occur. Thats all.

Spot on.

[liz]

Kooris are people from what is now NSW and North East Victoria. Most of the indigenous AFL players are from elsewhere (except possibly Tas ). That's my understanding anyhow.

I thought it was a word used by those from NSW and Victoria, rather than a word specifically to describe indigenous people from those regions. I have definitely heard/read Goodes describe himself as "Koori" and I thought (but am less certain) I'd read him use the word more broadly to describe indigenous people.

[ernie koala]

Yep.
It well and truly is the fault of the various governments in the white people of Australia fully understanding the culture of the Aboriginal people.
I speak from a Victorian POV where we really have a small % of Aboriginals around compared to other states.
I'm talking about acceptance and education into their culture etc.
Because of that, I simply see everyone as being Australian.

How else is one to learn of these things if they aren't educated in schools?

For what it's worth, I agree with you whole heartedly. You can come down off your soapbox now.
This thread is a discussion about whether we should, or should have, recruited some Indigenous boys over the last 4-5 years. As the list I made shows, with a few gaffs but which could easily be extended,there have been plenty of late drafting steals of Indigenous players. Maybe one of the reasons they don't get picked up earlier is due to the extra challenges in relocating and settling these boys into a completely different enviroment like Sydney, having come from a completely different enviroment and background and often from far away. Having two guys like Goodes and Mick to help could take away much of this concern.

[ShockOfHair]

I thought it was a word used by those from NSW and Victoria, rather than a word specifically to describe indigenous people from those regions. I have definitely heard/read Goodes describe himself as "Koori" and I thought (but am less certain) I'd read him use the word more broadly to describe indigenous people.

I think it's become almost default tag in wider community. Around Adelaide aboriginal groups usually refer to themselves as 'nunga'.

On the topic of recruiting: just looked up MOL and didn't realise we'd taken him at pick 40 behind Rocca (2), Grant (3), Stuart Mangin (20) and Nicks (21).

Which would still make him the Swans' highest ever indigenous pick(?).

[Yakety_Yak]

Originally Posted by Yakety_Yak
Where is the queue of aboriginal youngsters desperately wanting to come to the BIGGEST CITY on the continent... as a preference?

Has Ernie been on walk about? ...and not realised Swans.... in terms of THE luxury of "pick and choose" in the national draft has NOT been in such position for over a decade?

The NEXT best most suitable player in the potential list gets picked!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...and it would be rascist & discrimantory to suggest that skin colour necessarily MAKES a would be patronising student better...or worse!

Ke ??

OK

Much of the aboriginal talent comes from NT, SA, WA, & Island NTH QLD with strong alliance to a state league

Many of them have had great difficulty adjusting even to the relative "country town" atmosphere of Melbourne. Sydney is difficult change of pace for most non-city raised folk. Several koori's have had spells going back home, or falling out of the system altogether, due to "home sickness" and cultural issues. Do I need to educate you about the many, many instances??

How many of the near Pt Lincoln mob would prefer living in hick Adelaide ....than big smoke Sydney... do you know or want to guess?

Part of successful or prudent recruitment for any player is finding players happy to live LONG TERM in a non footy state and for most , away from family and friends.

Swans have not had a position in any recent draft, to take chances. Picks are generally catch up to those clubs with earlier choices, especially Swans earlier picks . The best player (right atrributes) must be taken...whether blue, black, or brindle

Kapish?????

[reigning premier]

Yes Anglo Saxons and Aboriginees are different from eachother. Amazing isn't it? And to call that a racist statement is pathetic.

Hey, you're the one giving preferential treatment.

[ernie koala]

OK

Much of the aboriginal talent comes from NT, SA, WA, & Island NTH QLD with strong alliance to a state league

Many of them have had great difficulty adjusting even to the relative "country town" atmosphere of Melbourne. Sydney is difficult change of pace for most non-city raised folk. Several koori's have had spells going back home, or falling out of the system altogether, due to "home sickness" and cultural issues. Do I need to educate you about the many, many instances??

How many of the near Pt Lincoln mob would prefer living in hick Adelaide ....than big smoke Sydney... do you know or want to guess?

Part of successful or prudent recruitment for any player is finding players happy to live LONG TERM in a non footy state and for most , away from family and friends.

Swans have not had a position in any recent draft, to take chances. Picks are generally catch up to those clubs with earlier choices, especially Swans earlier picks . The best player (right atrributes) must be taken...whether blue, black, or brindle

Kapish?????

Refer back to post 64..... My whole arguement is based around what you say. ie For the 10th time, Having Goodes and Mick as willing mentors, brothers, friends whatever you want to call it, surely would make the problems of relocating etc a little easier to overcome. Therefore I think the recruiters should take advantage of this resource before they're both gone. kapish??

[CureTheSane]

For what it's worth, I agree with you whole heartedly.

Awesome.
I won!
Not very often someone here completely caves in to another's point of view.
Good to see that you were able to take on board my arguments and flip over to agree whole heartedly with what I have been saying.

[ROK Lobster]

Awesome.
I won!
Not very often someone here completely caves in to another's point of view.
Good to see that you were able to take on board my arguments and flip over to agree whole heartedly with what I have been saying.

That's what I said (I just didn't post it).

[Yakety_Yak]

Refer back to post 64..... My whole arguement is based around what you say. ie For the 10th time, Having Goodes and Mick as willing mentors, brothers, friends whatever you want to call it, surely would make the problems of relocating etc a little easier to overcome. Therefore I think the recruiters should take advantage of this resource before they're both gone. kapish??

Haha

I admire the passion in your cause!


Like....send Jolly, C Bolton, Richards, Mattner & Shaw on a crusade to convince with their experience, that any unwanted or struggling players should seriously think about coming to Sydney?

I agree... good idea...wouldn't matter what colour!

At least they would not have to dodge the "raffle" that is the "national draft" to find out what colour skin the best at that number selection had!


No way that group could they be given mandate, to pick any that just soley happens to be, a unwanted disgard.


NO AINT RUNNING a selective unit! ...a professional elite football club!


Best > Colour of hair!

[sharp9]

Now don't jump down my throat, but I think that it is worth pointing out something which may surprise some of you...Australia is possibly the only country on the planet where a thread of this nature could exist.

It runs through all of football commentary (even the professionals) who continually attribute certain skills-sets to a player's race. This would never happen in any other advanced country....Can you imagine New Zealanders thinking that a clever player derived some of his cleverness form being Maori? Or fans of the Crusaders wondering how many pacific island players there are on the list? Or fans of the Yankees wanting to get some more Afro-American players....maybe some of those tall ones???

That sort of thinking is so far away from reality everywhere except Australia it's just not funny.

If Steve Johnson or Gary Ablett or Chis Judd were aboriginal you would constantly hear about them being "clever indigenous players."

And just because Adam Goodes and Michael O'Loughlin are guilty of this type of thinking doesn't make it any less backward.

[connolly]

Haha

I admire the passion in your cause!


Like....send Jolly, C Bolton, Richards, Mattner & Shaw on a crusade to convince with their experience, that any unwanted or struggling players should seriously think about coming to Sydney?

I agree... good idea...wouldn't matter what colour!

At least they would not have to dodge the "raffle" that is the "national draft" to find out what colour skin the best at that number selection had!


No way that group could they be given mandate, to pick any that just soley happens to be, a unwanted disgard.


NO AINT RUNNING a selective unit! ...a professional elite football club!


Best > Colour of hair!

This about the culture of an indigenous people. Why is it about "colour"and what does that mean?

[Lucky Knickers]

Now don't jump down my throat, but I think that it is worth pointing out something which may surprise some of you...Australia is possibly the only country on the planet where a thread of this nature could exist.

It runs through all of football commentary (even the professionals) who continually attribute certain skills-sets to a player's race. This would never happen in any other advanced country....Can you imagine New Zealanders thinking that a clever player derived some of his cleverness form being Maori? Or fans of the Crusaders wondering how many pacific island players there are on the list? Or fans of the Yankees wanting to get some more Afro-American players....maybe some of those tall ones???

That sort of thinking is so far away from reality everywhere except Australia it's just not funny.

If Steve Johnson or Gary Ablett or Chis Judd were aboriginal you would constantly hear about them being "clever indigenous players."

And just because Adam Goodes and Michael O'Loughlin are guilty of this type of thinking doesn't make it any less backward.

Please DO NOT quote the USA at me as advanced in any matter of race or colour.
I spend a significant amount of time there with my job (both East and West Coast, North and South) and I can assure you that all you need to do is visit any sports bar and you will hear exactly the conversations you state above.
I can tell you, I actually found myself invited to join a conversation where people were discussing the merits of recruiting in China for "more freaks like Xiao versus Zulu's 'cause those freaks can really jump".

[BSA5]

Now don't jump down my throat, but I think that it is worth pointing out something which may surprise some of you...Australia is possibly the only country on the planet where a thread of this nature could exist.

It runs through all of football commentary (even the professionals) who continually attribute certain skills-sets to a player's race. This would never happen in any other advanced country....Can you imagine New Zealanders thinking that a clever player derived some of his cleverness form being Maori? Or fans of the Crusaders wondering how many pacific island players there are on the list? Or fans of the Yankees wanting to get some more Afro-American players....maybe some of those tall ones???

That sort of thinking is so far away from reality everywhere except Australia it's just not funny.

If Steve Johnson or Gary Ablett or Chis Judd were aboriginal you would constantly hear about them being "clever indigenous players."

And just because Adam Goodes and Michael O'Loughlin are guilty of this type of thinking doesn't make it any less backward.

Firstly, neither Gary Ablett nor Chris Judd display footballing skills that are particularly associated with aboriginal players (being highly physical players that are super-fit and ball magnets, with big strong bodies). Johnson does, I'll give you that. He has always reminded me of Michael O'Loughlin.

Secondly, I think it would be far more backward to simply pretend that different ethnicities don't tend to have physical features that make them more suited to different styles of play. This is where political correctness spins out of control. It's not like people are saying indigenous players are less or more important, or that football is all they're good for; they're just making the very true observation that indigenous players tend to be faster, more agile, and more creative, while being less physically imposing.

Making a differentiation between two different races isn't being racist. Otherwise, pointing out that indigenous Australians tend to have darker skin than those of Anglo-Saxan origin would be a racist comment.

On to the point of this thread: the Swans seem to be lacking a bit of speed, flair and creativity, especially in the forwardline. These are characteristics that are particularly common in indigenous players. Huff and puff all you want, it's a fact. That being the case, it would make sense that if the Swans were to look to remedying that problem via the draft, that there would be a very high chance of an indigenous player being one of those drafted. The fact that there haven't been any indigenous players drafted recently suggests that Roos, Maxfield and co aren't looking at remedying that particular problem, which happens to be a source of concern for some.