Throughout the history of our great game, there have been so many incredible first nations players that it's almost impossible to rank them, so to make things easier, we're looking only at players from the AFL era.
Unfortunately, this rules out some heavy hitters, Sir Doug Nicholls being one, an incredible athlete who symbolised reconciliation and was knighted for his many exploits. The same goes for the great Syd Jackson, who won two flags with the Blues in the 70's.
Sadly, this also rules out Geelong legend Polly Farmer, who revolutionised the way Ruckman play today and also goes for the Krakouer brothers, Phil and Jim, who some say had a telepathic link that they used to dominate opposition teams and win games single-handedly.
Finally, Maurice Rioli also misses out, despite being one of the best players of his era and inspiring a generation of Indigenous players to make it to the AFL.
So with all this in mind, here's our top 10 players from the AFL era:
1. Buddy Franklin
Perhaps the best to ever play the game, Buddy Franklin is a phenom who took the competition by storm in 2007 and never looked back.
An unbelievable player who thrives in front of a roaring crowd, Franklin's highlight reel is the sort of thing you'd show to people overseas to get them to fall in love with footy.
A two-time premiership player with Hawthorn who has been selected in the All-Australian side a staggering eight times, Buddy has also won four Coleman Medals and 12 leading goalkicker awards at both Hawthorn and Sydney.
Despite his list of achievements, it's the way that Franklin plays that is perhaps the most impressive thing about him. At six foot six, he has the kind of pace that sprinters dream about and a left foot that is more akin to a cannon.
One of the great sights in the game and a defender's worst nightmare, Buddy looks was just the sixth player to kick more than 1000 career goals when he reached the famous milestone against Sydney in Round 2, 2022.
Honourable Mentions
As with any list, there are always some who are extremely unlucky to miss out, so in the interests of ensuring they get recognised for being the incredible players that they are, a few honourable mentions need to go out.
Michael O'Loughlin was not just an incredible forward for the Swans but also a multiple All-Australian. Eddie Betts is not only one of the most loved figures to ever play the game, but also a three-time All-Australian and four time Goal of the Year winner who's kicked over 600 goals to date.
'Neon Leon' Davis was an electric presence for the Pies, who won All-Australian honours as both a forward and a defender, as well as a flag with the Pies.
Darryl White is a triple premiership hero for the Lions who's toughness and skill were always on display.
Chris Lewis, Jeff Farmer, Byron Pickett, Che Cockatoo Collins, Michael Walters, the list could go on forever.
What this really highlights is how lucky we are to have had some many brilliant players grace our stadiums over the years.
Here's to another fantastic Sir Doug Nicholls Round, one of the cultural highlights on the AFL calendar, and many more to come.
