A key voice in the league's Indigenous space has backed calls for more to be done to increase the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players on AFL lists.
Xavier Clarke, who played 106 AFL games between 2002 and 2011 and represented the Indigenous All Stars in 2007 before coaching the side last year, believes increasing rookie list spots for Indigenous talent could be an optimal solution.
“Without doubt I think it's a good idea, if it means getting more Indigenous players on lists,” Clarke told Zero Hanger.
There are 59 Indigenous players on AFL lists this year, with 2026 continuing a season-on-season fall since a record number of 87 Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander players were listed in 2020.
It was reported last year that long time list boss Adrian Dodoro advocated for it to become mandatory for each club to recruit at least one Indigenous player which never materialised.
The AFL talent pathway has an Indigenous Academy which provides football, leadership and cultural development for young footballers, while each club invests in Next Generation Academies.
It has contributed to an uptick in community participation of Indigenous footballers, while the AFL has also launched an action plan to foster growth in the space, but it so far has not yielded results at the top level.
“There has been commentary around Category B rookies to encourage clubs to attract more Indigenous players onto their lists,” said Clarke, who is now a highly rated AFL assistant coach at North Melbourne.
“Ideally, I would love for that number to continue to go up. Being part of the Indigenous All Stars game last year was a once in a lifetime experience.
“Seeing those boys do what they did on the big stage and do it together we hope will spark young Indigenous boys on the couch to say ‘that's what I really want to do'. You look at the two Pickett boys at Melbourne, look at what Nas is doing at St Kilda.
“You need those role models in the game, they're really important so I'd like to think with that combination of tweaking of the rules and concessions that allow clubs to draft more players potentially outside of traditional pathways programs would only be a good thing.”
