Many Brownlow Medal viewers were surprised to see a welcome-to-country speech before the ceremony began.
The AFL’s Night of Nights ceremony kicked off on Monday night with stars including Nick Daicos, Marcus Bontempelli, Patrick Cripps and Lachie Neale vying for the prestigious award.
However, those tuning in for the start of the official proceedings were surprised to see a welcome to country performed by big uncle Colin Hunter Jr., who also performed the ceremony at last year’s Brownlow Medal, before it began.
Many AFL fans took to social media to express their frustration with the speech, which recognises Australia’s indigenous heritage.
“Fuck me. Now the Brownlow Medal has a welcome home message! What a fucking joke!” raged one.
Another added: “This Aboriginal takeover of the entire AFL is a fucking joke. Baffling. You and your Aboriginal friends can go fuck yourselves.”
A third commented: ‘Welcome to the country for Brownlow coverage. Are you serious?’
Another wrote: ‘I wonder how many people changed the channel when Welcome to Country came on.’
Big Uncle Colin Hunter Jr. (pictured) welcomed the country at Monday’s Brownlow Medal ceremony
The Brownlow Medal ceremony began at 8pm on Monday night with AFL stars Nick Daicos (left), Marcus Bontempelli, Patrick Cripps and Lachie Neale competing for the prestigious award.
Other commentators wondered why some spectators were making such a fuss about the traditional indigenous welcome.
“Oh no, they just made a welcome to country sign at Brownlow. Get ready for all the racists not to need ‘welcome to my own country’ posts,” wrote one.
Another added: “People are making a fuss about Welcome to the Country, they do it every year, I don’t know why you’re surprised.”
The controversy comes after Geelong’s Indigenous premiership winner Mathew Stokes branded the Welcome to Country ceremonies too divisive.
The Cats great, who played 200 games, also expressed hope that Australians can “offer their opinion on Welcome to Country without being called racists”.
His comments followed the ceremony ahead of the recent GWS semi-final vs Brisbane being criticised by angry fans who branded it a “disgrace” after celebrant Brendan Kerin said the rituals were not “invented to cater to white people”.
Stokes also revealed that he had “no interest” in the Welcome to Country when it was performed before big games he played in because it made him feel “uncomfortable”.
“Welcoming to the country should be a beautiful and respectful ceremony that brings us together as we reflect on Australia’s extraordinary history, which stretches back long before white settlement,” he wrote in The age.
‘Instead, it’s becoming divisive and, to be honest, I can understand why many people are confused by its purpose, as AFL finals coverage broadcasts the ceremonies to millions of football fans.
‘I think the moment is, in some cases, being exploited by people who, speaking in front of over a million people watching on television, are using it to defend their own views rather than giving everyone present the opportunity to show respect for the deep history attached to the land on which the match is being played.’
Many AFL fans expressed frustration with the speech, which recognises Australia’s indigenous heritage.
The 39-year-old, who won flags with the Cats in 2007, 2009 and 2011, called for a “genuine debate” over the ceremonies but added: “That can only happen if people can offer their opinion on Welcome to Country without being labelled racist.”
Stokes later revealed his surprising reaction to the ceremonies when he was a player.
“As an Aboriginal man who loves and respects his culture and traditions, I was not interested in being welcomed into country before a grand final,” he said.
‘My concentration as a player was on what would happen when the ball bounced.
‘To be brutally honest, while it may be good for everyone outside the boundaries, when you’re part of the game and you’re an Aboriginal man, you can start to feel uncomfortable at that point.’
He also said the welcome “is being overblown, which dilutes its effect, particularly if the ceremony is used to push agendas.”
The pre-final ceremony for GWS vs Brisbane in Sydney earlier this month – where Kerin also claimed that welcomes have been taking place since 250,000 years before Captain James Cook arrived in Australia – sparked outraged reactions from politician Pauline Hanson and football legend Tony Shaw.
Hanson called the rituals “one of the most racially divisive features of modern discourse in Australia” and later called on football fans to turn their backs on them before matches.
Shaw, who captained Collingwood at the 1990 ceremony, criticised the AFL for being “weak” and “politically correct” for not issuing a public rebuke over Kerin’s stance on the ceremony.
Channel Nine football commentator Tony Jones also added to the controversy, saying the AFL should start vetting what celebrants say before welcoming them to avoid future scandals.
Geelong’s Indigenous premiership winner Mathew Stokes (pictured) is fed up with the Welcome to Country message being used to push political agendas.
The Cats great also revealed that the welcomes he received before the biggest games he played in left him feeling ‘uncomfortable’.
“Whether you agree with Welcome to Country or not, I think there is a certain amount of respect shown by football fans. But there is a problem. There is a problem and the AFL needs to address it,” Jones said.
‘This is a celebration during Saturday night’s Welcome to Country… there was laughter, and I’ll tell you why: because these Welcomes are not, and should not be, personal agendas.
‘They shouldn’t be there for political statements per se and I’m not sure if the AFL vets the scripts, maybe they will from now on because those comments didn’t go down well with a number of people in the crowd.