The West Coast Eagles are using a vile, racist attack on social media directed at young forward Liam Ryan at the weekend as an avenue to educate and influence change in the community.
After chief executive Trevor Nisbett denounced posts on social media as "abhorrent, disgusting and vitriolic garbage", the club has today continued the campaign.
West Coast indigenous liaison officer Phil Narkle, an inaugural player at the Eagles in 1987, and recently-appointed development coach Chance Bateman have produced a video explaining the hurt caused by such racist posts.
“We are united at this football club. We are united at this club and we do not accept or tolerate racism,” said Noongar elder Narkle, the first Indigenous liaison officer appointed to any club in the AFL.
“When will this end?”
To demonstrate the unity and support for the club’s Indigenous players, head coach Adam Simpson, the senior leadership group, emerging leadership group and players involved in developing the club’s reconciliation action plan, stood behind Bateman and Narkle for the video.
The club has six Indigenous players – Lewis Jetta, Willie Rioli, Francis Watson, Brendon Ah Chee, Jarrod Cameron and Ryan – who have appreciated the support of their teammates and the club in confronting this issue.
Bateman, Hawthorn's first Indigenous life member, underlined the sensitivity around the disparaging remarks and posts.
While Ryan was the target of keyboard cowards at the weekend, hiding behind nom deplumes, it is far from an isolated case.
Adelaide star Eddie Betts, Geelong midfielder Tim Kelly and Eagles livewire Willie Rioli have all been targeted in the last month.
Bateman has called on the broader community to help eliminate the distasteful practice.
“In light of recent racial vilification incidents over social media, one which was aimed against our very own Liam Ryan, the club has taken a public stance against racism of any kind," Bateman said.
“What we would also like to do is use this latest incident as a platform to educate, create some more awareness and understanding on the term that is being used.
“For many, the term monkey or ape, can be seen as just name calling. But for Aboriginal people, it cuts much, much deeper than that.
“It is a throw-back to early settlement when this land was settled under terra nullius – or no man’s land – the reason for that is because Aboriginal people were not thought of as human beings. We were thought of as a sub-human species and that decision to settle the land under those terms triggered some of the most horrific, degrading and inhumane treatment of some of our men, women, children and babies.
“So what we would like to do is ask your support, so that whenever you hear that these players need to harden up and it’s just name calling, we hope you can support them and educate others on why the term is so offensive to our people.”
A number of West Coast players – as well as others across the AFL – have called for the football community to lead the way in eradicating offensive and racist posts.
A campaign has begun using the very platforms that have enabled people to write such derogatory and insulting comments.
Please get behind #whenwillitend (originally used by West Coast’s multi-cultural ambassador, Fijian-born ruckman Nic Naitanui, after Ryan was villified).
