In the lead-up to the annual Sir Doug Nicholls Round - which celebrates the culture of Indigenous Australians and their contribution to football - it seemed fitting to look back on some of the stars that have graced the football field.
With the archives deep and long, a limitation on just the AFL era still rendered the task of determining just who the top 10 Indigenous players would be, near impossible.
These 10 are superstars in their own right, but some may count themselves unfortunate not to be mentioned...
9Michael Long
The AFL Football Hall of Famer made his moments count when playing for Essendon over 13 years.
Long is a two-time premiership player for the Bombers, and a Norm Smith Medallist, while earning All-Australian honours on two occasions.
The brilliant and hard-nosed wingman played 190 games in the red and black, and kicked 143 goals.
Once he retired, his work didn't end there, forging a reputation as one of the most influential and enduring Aboriginal figures.
Long was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in the 2021 Queen's Birthday Honours for service to Australian rules football, and to the Indigenous community.
