‘More harm than good’: The flaw in the AFL’s plan that has Indigenous icons worried

July 4, 2026 — 3:30am

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Two of the game’s greatest Indigenous players have warned that the AFL’s move to expand playing lists to make room for an extra Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander could prove tokenistic and provide only a “sugar hit” to boost declining numbers across the competition.

Shaun Burgoyne and Eddie Betts told this masthead that a key platform of the game’s recently unveiled First Nations strategy could do more harm than good while failing to address the alarming drop-off of Indigenous footballers across the country’s football pathways.

Burgoyne, the 407-game four-time premiership player, said that while the AFL’s new strategy had some merit, it lacked detail and depth.

“Numbers are declining and careers are shorter, and while the extra category B rookie spot will provide a sugar-hit and the numbers will increase, this will only last maybe for a year,” he said.

“They could have done more work on the issue, I believe, to make it less tokenistic and more authentic.”

Burgoyne, Port Adelaide’s Indigenous player development manager, expressed his views in a recent robust meeting with the AFL’s First Nations inclusion general manager Taryn Lee and game development boss Rob Auld.

He said head office needed to “turbocharge” its work in the AFLW competition. The ambition as put to the AFL Commission late last year was to increase the number of female Indigenous players from 22 to 29 by 2030.

“We should be aiming higher,” said Burgoyne. “We can make a team of ladies from........

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