AFL to plough funds into addressing racism as league grapples with Indigenous drop-off
The AFL will divert around $300,000 from Indigenous guernsey sales towards initiatives designed to address culturally unsafe environments and racism, as the league grapples with a growing trend of First Nations players leaving the game.The number of Indigenous players in the league has dropped every year since its peak of 87 in 2020, to now where it sits at 62.Under its five-year strategy drafted last year, the AFL has targeted an increase to 89 by 2030.AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon said First Nations teenagers are getting drafted at a higher rate than their overall share of the league, but more work needs to be done to ensure players can fulfil their potential.“What we did see last year was nine Indigenous players drafted in the men’s competition, which was a bigger proportion of the 80-or-so players drafted – percentage-wise, that was a really high percentage,” he said.
“But what happened was, at the same time, we had 11 Indigenous players delisted, so that’s why the number went down.”The typical career for an Indigenous player is approximately one year shorter than that of a non-Indigenous player.The trend is evident even in the careers of high-profile, proven performers such as Willie Rioli, who retired last year at age 30.Dillon said there are no “cookie-cutter” solutions, and the league has introduced a subcommittee to look at ways of growing Indigenous numbers.There is also a working group considering dedicated First Nations list spots.
“I think the players are there.Would we like even more? Absolutely, and that’s why we’re doing that work,” he said.“So it’s not only just about identifying, it’s then when the players are on the list, how can we make sure that an Indigenous player stays on the list as long as any other player does.”The AFL expects the newly-launched First Nations impact fund will receive around $300,000 this season.Clubs are able to access the funding by pitching initiatives to support the league’s First Nations strategy, which include creating culturally safe environments and calling out and addressing racism.
St Kilda’s Bradley Hill said he didn’t know exactly what the cause for the drop-off was, but he believed there is still more to be done to help young Indigenous players realise opportunities.“Growing up as an Aboriginal young kid I know how hard it can be as a teenager, whether it’s getting to training, getting people committed to their teams,” said the Noongar man and three-time premiership player.“I know sometimes it is difficult for us to get there, whether it’s money, travel, there could be a lot of things that we could do to make it easier for the younger boys coming through.”Hill said there was a “positive outcome” to last month’s incident when Hill and others at the Saints took exception to a comment by coach Ross Lyon described as “casual racism”, but he did not want to elaborate further.“It’s already been out there in the newspapers and stuff, I probably don’t need to touch on that again,” he said.
“I think you guys all know exactly what went on,”
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At a recent tasting, I got chatting to a winemaker from Australia’s Clare Valley as I bravely made my way through his wares: a ripe, leathery shiraz and a deep, dark cabernet sauvignon that put me in mind of blackcurrant bushes. These were serious wines – and good value, too. A generation ago, such gutsy New World reds were all the rage, but now, lamented the winemaker, gen Z was more interested in lighter, cooler-climate wines, lower on the alcohol and brighter on the palate.The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link
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The weather lately has been as temperamental as peas in pods. But peas are even harder to read than the sky: some pods contain sweet things no bigger than peppercorns, which explode when you bite them; the contents of others, however, are closer to small ball bearings, their size very likely a sign that all the natural sucrose has been metabolised and transformed to pea starch. The best thing for the tiny ones is to snack on them alongside a bit of cheese, whereas the path for big ones is the same as for dried peas, so pea and ham soup or a long-simmered puree.The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link
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Asparagus butts are a particularly tricky byproduct to tame because they’re so fibrous. I usually cut them very finely (into 5mm-thick discs, or even thinner), then boil, puree and pass them through a sieve (as in my green goddess salad dressing and asparagus soup), but even then you’ll still end up with a fair bit of fibrous waste. Enter asparagus-butt butter: a recipe that defies all odds, making the impossible possible by transforming a tough offcut into an intense compound butter that’s perfect for grilling or frying asparagus spears themselves, or for eggs, bread, gnocchi or whatever you can think of. The short fibres brown and caramelise in the butter, and in the process become the highlight of the dish, rather than the problem.This transforms an unwanted byproduct into an intense expression of the plant’s flavour
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Spring’s first asparagus always feels like a celebration, but there’s so much more to cooking those spears than just butter and lemon. Here, those tender stems combine with bold Indian flavours in two playful dishes. The thoran, inspired by Keralan home cooking, involves stir-frying asparagus with coconut, mustard seeds and curry leaves to create something warm and comforting (my friend Simi’s mum always used to drizzle it with a little lemon juice to give the flavours a lift). The chaat, meanwhile, tossed with tangy tamarind, yoghurt, spices, crunchy chickpeas and sweet pomegranate, is a delicious snack or side. Together, they show how versatile asparagus can be: easy to cook, vibrant and moreish even in unexpected culinary traditions
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