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 178 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 was 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 340 games for Adelaide from 1995 to 2010.
There were 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]
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 and their career span is listed as "(year of debut)–present". Statistics are correct to the end of the 2011 AFL season.
- Legend
Players named in the Indigenous Team of the Century are indicated by a # next to their name.
Currently listed players
References
- 1 2 Murnane, Jason (9 February 2009). "82 Indigenous players on AFL lists in 2009". AFL Players Association (AFLPA). Retrieved 29 November 2009.