Collingwood will join the AFL community in celebrating the culture and players which have helped shape Australia’s game during this week's Indigenous Round.

Established in 2007, the AFL’s annual round recognising and celebrating indigenous players and culture has been renamed in honour of Sir Doug Nicholls.

Sir Doug, who epitomised the spirit of reconciliation, played 54 games for Fitzroy and was a brilliant all-round athlete. The first Aboriginal person to be knighted, he also served as Governor of South Australia and was devoted to the wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Fourteen Indigenous players have donned the Black and White throughout the club’s 114-year history, with Wally Lovett holding the honour of being the first native Australian to represent the club, playing 15 VFL games in 1982.

It was previously believed that Norm Le Brun, who featured in 19 games for the Black and White between 1933 and 1934, held that particular distinction.

However, research by the grand-daughter of Le Brun’s first cousin established his heritage to differ greatly from that previously assumed, with the investigation uncovering a diverse background, featuring familial links to Cape Verde, Jamaica, Scotland and Jersey.

Indigenous players have played a more prominent role for the club since Lovett’s pioneering efforts, with Leon Davis becoming the first native Australian to play 200 games for the Magpies before his retirement in 2011.

Featuring in four AFL Grand Finals, including 2010’s drawn decider against St Kilda, Davis established himself among the upper echelons of the competition’s elite, twice earning All-Australian recognition as well as winning the Goal of the Year award in 2008.

Grand Final glory though ultimately eluded Davis, allowing Sharrod Wellingham to become the club’s first Indigenous Premiership player when he starred in Collingwood’s 2010 triumph, booting two goals in the Grand Final replay.

Recruited in 2010, Andrew Krakouer’s three goal performance in the 2011 Grand Final almost proved the catalyst to drive the Magpies to back-to-back Premierships, but the side’s last quarter fade out denied them the chance to claim a history equalling 16th flag.

Purchase a replica 2016 Indigenous Round jumper now on shop.collingwoodfc.com.au

Travis Varcoe, one of the stars of Collingwood's 2016 line up, originally won two premierships in 138 games for Geelong before making the switch to Collingwood at the end of 2014.

The Collingwood players will wear a special guernsey, designed by Indigenous artist Nathan Patterson, to celebrate Indigenous Round in the round 10 clash against the Western Bulldogs.

“The story behind the design is around the recognition the past and present Indigenous footballers that have played for Collingwood”, Patterson told Collingwood Media.



Barrawarn means Magpie in the language spoken by the Wurundjeri people, the original custodians of the area of Melbourne which the Collingwood Football Club now calls home.

“It was important to represent the attacking Barrawarn (magpie) as these birds are extremely territorial.

“Extremely loyal and fierce, these birds do not give up easily.”

Patterson’s design also recognises all Indigenous players to have pulled on the Black and White stripes throughout Collingwood’s 124-year history. The circles within the dots symbolise the range of Indigenous communities that these players originate from, with the Collingwood Football Club’s traditional home of Victoria Park represented as a mutual meeting place.

In conjunction with the Collingwood Football Club Foundation’s Barrawarn Program, the guernsey highlights the Magpies’ commitment to Australia’s first people.

Established in 2012, the Barrawarn Program is an initiative of the CFC Foundation and AFL Sportsready, supporting young Indigenous people through education and employment opportunities, empowering youth by providing career pathways.



Collingwood's 2016 Indigenous Round jumper, as worn by Travis Varcoe.

Barrawarn is a woi wurrung, the language of the Wurundjeri people, word for Magpie.

Barrawarn Program participants develop vocational skills and attain nationally recognised qualifications, with trainees working within AFL Victoria’s regional development areas, making a significant impact on the elite development pathway for young Indigenous people.

Click here to learn more about the Barrawarn Program.

School based participants are placed with a range of different organisations within the cities of Yarra and Darebin in areas such as sports and business administration, and hospitality.

Recently expanded after garnering the support of the Victorian Government, the Barrawarn Program has already placed 35 Indigenous jobseekers into full-time employment at partner organisations, including Linfox, Westpac and the Peter McCallum Cancer Centre, a figure poised to grow in the year ahead.

Roll call of Indigenous footballers to have played for Collingwood
Click on each player's name to view their profile on forever.collingwoodfc.com.au.

Wally Lovett
(1982)

Robbie Ahmat
(1995-1997)

Leon Davis
(2000-2011)

Richard Cole
(2002-2005)

Chris Egan
(2005-2008)

Brad Dick
(2007-2011)

Shannon Cox
(2007-2009)

Sharrod Wellingham
(2008-2011)

Anthony Corrie
(2009)

Kirk Ugle
(2011-2012)

Andrew Krakouer
(2011-2013)

Peter Yagmoor
(2012)

Tony Armstrong
(2014-2015)

Travis Varcoe
(2015-2016)