ST KILDA has rightful claim to be a trailblazer when it comes to indigenous footballers.
As the build-up to the AFL’s indigenous round is based largely around Essendon and Richmond’s Dream Time at the G game, the Saints’ role in indigenous football history is as significant as any club.
The very first indigenous footballer to line up for St Kilda was Jim Wandin in 1952.
Wandin was a senior figure in the Victorian indigenous community at the time as the ngurungaeta (head man) of the Wurundjeri people.
He played just 17 games over two seasons as the 12th Aboriginal player to play at VFL level in the first 55 years of the league.
Robert Muir was the next indigenous player to represent the Saints when he made his debut 21 years after Wandin’s time at St Kilda came to a close.
Known mainly for his firebrand style, Muir’s immense talent is often forgotten. Muir played just 68 games for the Saints but played with a distinct flair that made him a fan favourite at Moorabbin.
Muir’s short temper, combined with frequent racial slurs meant he would often blow up at opponents and umpires alike and his outbursts still feature regularly in clips highlighting some of the more volatile moments in the game’s history.
Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, St Kilda led the way with recruiting indigenous footballers.
Phil Narkle, Russell Jeffrey, Greg and Gilbert McAdam, Nicky Winmar, Bob Jones, Jim Krakouer and Dale Kickett all represented the Saints which had the second best indigenous representation of the time behind West Coast.
The most significant moment in Australian football’s indigenous history was the day St Kilda defeated Collingwood at Victoria Park in 1993.
Winmar and Gilbert McAdam were both subject to a constant barrage of racist abuse from sections of the predominantly Collingwood crowd but responded by being the two best players in the memorable win. McAdam booted five goals on the day and Winmar famously lifted his jumper to point to his skin in a gesture fondly remembered as a pivotal moment in racism issues in Australian sport.
McAdam’s time at St Kilda was brief before he rounded out his career with the Brisbane Bears but Winmar’s 230-game history earned him a spot in the Saints’ team of the century and the Hall of Fame. He is still remembered as one of the very best players to have represented the Saints.
Since Winmar’s departure, other indigenous players such as Allan Murray, Xavier and Raphael Clarke, Winmar’s cousin Nicholas, Fred Campbell, Sean Charles and Gavin Mitchell have proudly worn the red, white and black.
As of 2014, Terry Milera is the only indigenous player on St Kilda’s list.
While still an emerging talent, Milera has already shown glimpses of the dazzling skill and ability that has been synonymous with indigenous St Kilda footballers for decades.
A book on St Kilda's history titled Strength Through Loyalty details St Kilda's rich indigenous history. To order a copy of this book, click here
