Indigenous stars to face Fremantle; Tanya Khosh comments

An AFL Indigenous team will face Fremantle in Perth after the league revived the concept after a 10-year hiatus.

The AFL announced on Tuesday that an exhibition game will be played at Optus Stadium on February 15 with Charlie Cameron, Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, Cozzi Pickett and Willie Rioli starting in the same forward line.

The Indigenous All-Star game will be played for the first time since 2015, when the Sean Burgoyne-led team played out a thrilling match against West Coast in Perth.

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Shai Bolton moved from Richmond to Fremantle during this month’s trade period but will be representing a team of Indigenous stars against his new Dockers teammates live on air.

AFL executive general manager of social policy and inclusion Tanya Hosch said the revamped All-Stars concept would build on the game’s “remarkable history” of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players.

“Not only will it be a celebration of Indigenous culture… but also the outstanding contributions that Indigenous players continue to make to our sport and will also serve as hope for young Indigenous players and communities in the future,” Hosch said.

“It’s been 10 years since the last Indigenous All-Star Game was played and the current champions are ready to continue the legacy of our recent greats like (Lance) Franklin, (Cyril) Rioli, (Jeff) Farmer, (Eddie) Betts and (Michael) O’Loughlin.”

Laura Kane, general manager of AFL football, said the exhibition match would be “showcase some of the best Indigenous talent” and “inspire the next wave of players.”

“It is important for us to continue to provide opportunities at pathway level and shine a light on what can be achieved, with the ultimate goal being to increase the number of Indigenous players on AFL lists in the future,” Kane said.