West Coast Eagles AFLW midfield coach Brady Grey is proud to see the way ruck Alicia Janz and forward Imahra Cameron have taken the reins in regards to Indigenous Round.

The duo have been making waves in Indigenous recognition, both for the Torres Strait Islands and the Aboriginal people.

This includes Cameron’s grandmother conducting a traditional Aboriginal smoking ceremony, and Janz painting her boots with cultural Torres Strait designs.

“It’s nice to be a part of it, to watch the girls run out in their guernsey, I know Janz got painted her boots, and we had the smoking ceremony in the pre-season,” Grey said.

“I get great pride seeing those girls be proud of where they’ve come from.

“This stuff also makes me proud that we as a club, and in the AFL, that we’re really embracing the Indigenous culture.

“It’s a celebration, I think we as a nation are still working on things we went through in the past, but the fact that the AFLW this year have brought an Indigenous round in, in a nine-round season … I think we get knowledge within communities.

“The general public start to really take notice of what the Indigenous culture is, and how proud the Indigenous people are.”

And, as the only Indigenous coach both in the AFLW, and at West Coast, the round fosters a strong cultural connection to football for Grey.

But greater representation in leadership positions is something he strives towards in coming years.

“Being an Indigenous coach in the system, it’s something I’m proud of and something I want to pursue post-playing career,” Grey said.

“Being the only (Indigenous) coach at West Coast, and in the AFLW, is something I want to make sure is a pathway for other Indigenous coaches.”

He hopes this round will shed light on these coaching pathways, while also tying together Indigenous traditions and football alike.

“The sense of sharing this, with the players, and the coaches, and the admin staff, I think the group really realises how proud we are of where we’ve come from,” Grey said.

As well as sharing this with staff at the West Coast Eagles, Grey will also have the opportunity to watch on with his sister, Carly Grey, who also works at the Wirrpanda Foundation.

The group leads the provision of education and employment opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, with Janz, Cameron and the Grey siblings all amongst the mix of teachers.

“She (Carly Grey) works with Imahra, and they’ve been doing a fair bit of work with the girls this week about what Indigenous culture is and why we need to recognise it,” Grey said.

“And obviously back home in Tassie, all my family will be watching on, I might get a glimpse on TV.

“But I know Dad will watch every game this week to check out the guernseys that everyone’s wearing.”

They’ll also have the opportunity to watch traditional dancers, didgeridoo players, and a smoking ceremony on the ground beforehand.

“We get fans back this week, so hopefully they can be a part of it.” Grey said.

“The more things that we can do, the more things that we can expose the general public, and our footy club to, the more it becomes normalised.

“We’re all a part of the journey.”