STUMPY'S SHORT SHOTS - RICK DREWER
I HAVE never booed Adam
Goodes – in fact, I have stood
up and applauded him at the
half-time interval of the Port Adelaide
versus Sydney qualifying
final at Football Park in 2003.
Individually, he had totally
dominated the game and placed
the Sydney Swans in a winning
position against the premiership
favourite.
Undoubtedly, he is one of Aussie
football’s all-time best players,
having won two Brownlow
Medals, been in two premiership
wins for Sydney and named in the
All-Australian team on four occasions,
together with being named
Australian of the Year in 2014.
So why does the mention of his
name seem to generate so much
attention and, inevitably, controversy?
It’s back, alive and well, this
time because Goodes, completely
within his rights, elected not to
accept the AFL’s unanimous nomination
to elect him to the Australian
Football Hall Of Fame.
Goodes has chosen to completely
reject football and everything to
do with it, the vehicle which delivered
him so much success and
adulation, together with financial
security and stardom.
Goodes’s story is most interesting.
He was born to an English/
Irish/Scottish father and an Aboriginal
mother, who raised him
alone from the age of four.
Goodes made his debut for
Sydney in 1998, being awarded
the Rising Star Award, before going
on to win the 2003 and 2006
Brownlow medals.
In 2008 Goodes wrote, in an
essay published in The Australian
Game of Football since 1858, in
relation to the Aboriginal game
Marngrook, and its theorised link
to the origins of Australian football.
“I don’t know the truth, but I believe
in the connection,” he wrote.
“Because I know that when Aborigines
play Australian football
with a clear mind and focus, we
are born to play it.”
In response, on NITV’s Marngrook
Footy Show, discussing the
origins of the game, AFL historian
Gillian Hibbins made the outlandish
claim of labelling Goodes a
“racist” for his comments, adding
“If you define racism as believing
a race is superior in something,
this is basically what he was doing.”
The Australian Human Rights
Commission (AHRC) found, in
a survey report, (that) “racism in
sport is a complex problem. It can
include racism, discrimination, harassment
or vilification by players
directed at other players; by spectators
directed at players; or racist
behaviour amongst rival spectator
groups.
“It also includes the actions of
sporting officials and coaches, as
well as media commentators.”
Seemingly, it all turned pear-shaped
for Goodes when a
13-year-old girl called Goodes
an “ape” during the Indigenous
Round in 2013, where he pointed
her out to security, resulting in her
being ejected from the ground.
One occasion of racism is one
too many, however, examples of
racism have occurred, and unfortunately
will continue to occur, as
long as humans walk on the earth.
In 2015, Goodes, when playing
outside of Sydney, was constantly
booed by spectators – supposedly
due to the 13-year-old girl incident,
his speaking out on Indigenous issues,
and his “spear dance” directed
at opposition fans during the Indigenous
round, resulting in him retiring
at the end of the season.
For 15 years, seemingly, Goodes
had a healthy relationship with
the general public, with little to no
mention of racism of any form
– so what changed that in the last
few that caused this irreparable
damage between Goodes and the
game he loves?
In 2019 the AFL and the 18 AFL
clubs “apologised unreservedly
for our failures”.
What more could the league
do to salvage this relationship? If
there will ever be reconciliation in
the future, the next move is yours,
Adam.
Have your say:
Contact Rick at
editor@bunyippress.com.au