What Sir Doug Nicholls Round means to Micky O

One of the AFL’s most decorated players, Michael O’Loughlin, joined the Play On podcast for its special Sir Doug Nicholls Round episode.

The 303-gamer for the Swans began by saying why the Indigenous Round resonates with him. “It is about showcasing our culture,” he said. “We’re the oldest continuous living culture living on planet Earth, so that’s something all Australians should be really proud of.”

O’Loughlin is thrilled Sir Doug Nicholls Round acknowledgements reverberate from elite to the grassroots. “It’s brilliant,” he said when asked about junior matches including acknowledgements of country, smoking ceremonies and special guernseys. “It starts a conversation and the younger you can do that and the more education you can get into our young people, the better off we’ll all be.

“It’s a hard conversation to have with young people, but truth telling is important…Aboriginal people, we love talking about where we’re from and how proud we are of our culture we are. We love opening up and talking about that. It’s quite unique.”

AFL NSW/ACT is immensely proud of the dozens of clubs who run an annual Indigenous Round, whether its during Sir Doug Nicholls Round or outside it. We encourage every club to celebrate Indigenous culture and footballers, and their impact on the game.

A Community Club Indigenous Round Guide has been created for clubs which want to start celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island culture at their club.

 

You can listen to Michael O’Loughlin’s interview as well as a chat with AFL NSW/ACT’s Diversity Partner, Mark Leavy, and up and coming player, Erin Naden, on the bumper Sir Doug Nicholls Round edition of Play On in player below, Spotify or Apple Podcasts.