AFL great Adam Goodes has revealed his dream for "an Indigenous war cry" dance to be performed by Australian sports teams before international matches.
The former Sydney Swans forward made headlines three years ago when he performed a defiant war dance after kicking a goal against Carlton during the AFL’s Indigenous Round.
The dual Brownlow medalist was repeatedly booed on the field and was the subject of a national conversation about racism in Australia during his two final seasons.
Speaking on ABC program Anh’s Brush With Fame, Goodes said that he would like to see Aboriginal culture adopted by Australian sporting teams in a similar way to how New Zealand All Blacks perform the haka.
“For me, what my dream is – that, you know, how good would it be if, you know, NRL, when they're playing against the Kiwis, they've got a dance?” he said.
“I think it’s 2019 the Wallabies play in the World Cup. Imagine if there's an Indigenous war cry that we do? It’d be incredible.”
Goodes said the dance was inspired by an under-16, all-Indigenous AFL team who had taught it to him and a way of showing his pride as an Aboriginal man.
He described the dancing in front of the opposition after booting a clean goal from the pocket as “the perfect moment”.
“I just hope people look back at it one day and go ‘it was Adam Goodes celebrating his culture’,” he said.
“It’s a part of Australia, the Indigenous culture, that, you know, we can still tap into.”
Despite receiving backlash from fans, Goodes said he was not bullied out of the game. He retired after Sydney’s semi-final loss to North Melbourne, finish his 372-game career with 464 goals.
“When I actually told the boys in the changeroom, I was relieved. I was relieved I didn’t have to go back into that environment,” Goodes said.
“It’s just unfortunate that the last two years of my careers are so fresh and affect my perception of AFL to this day.”
