More

    2024 AFL Indigenous All-Star game in doubt

    The league had hoped to stage the representative clash ahead of the upcoming season.

    Mitch Keating
    By
    Mitch Keating
    -
    EDITOR | December 5, 2023 - 4:00pm
    1209

    The AFL's plans to host an Indigenous All-Star game this pre-season are reportedly in doubt.

    The idea of the match would see the AFL's best Indigenous players go head-to-head with a team of 'multicultural All-Stars' that might include the likes of Adam Saad or Aliir Aliir.

    An Indigenous All-Stars team could see stars of the competition Shai Bolton, Kysaiah Pickett, Tyson Stengle, Alex Pearce and Jy Simpkin team up.

    In December last year, the league announced plans to schedule the showcase game, noting at the time that consultation with clubs and the availability of players and venues limited the chances of the game being held this year, with an eye on 2024 instead.

    "It will be a privilege to offer a game such as this to the community and we look forward to seeing these cohorts of talent in our game come together and showcased at some point in the future," AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon said at the time.

    The league's plans to stage the game ahead of the 2024 season are said to be in doubt however, with News Corpย reporting that the AFL has not left enough time to facilitate the representative game.

    It is understood the league will now look to have the game played in 2025 instead.

    The league has previously held matches featuring an Indigenous All-Stars side from 1973 and as recently as 2015.

    Embed from Getty Images

    The upcoming season has been brought forward to accommodate an 'Opening Round' in early March that will see four games played across Queensland and New South Wales - leaving little space for a showcase match to take place.

    The 2024 season will commence with a meeting between Sydney and Melbourne at the SCG on March 7, likely leaving the opening matches of the pre-season to fall in mid-Febraury.