A welcome-to-the-country address before an AFL match has sparked heated debate over its particularly acerbic tone, with some fans calling it a “disgrace”.
Brendan Kerin, a cultural educator with the Sydney Metropolitan Aboriginal Local Land Council, gave a speech he said was “not for white people” ahead of the GWS Giants and Brisbane Lions match at Sydney Olympic Park on Saturday night.
The ceremonies had previously sparked controversy, with some Australians questioning why it was necessary to welcome them in their own country, but Kerin said the practice had been misinterpreted.
‘I am here tonight to perform a welcoming ceremony for the country… ‘Welcome to the country is not the same as welcome to Australia,’ Kerin said.
‘In Australia we have a lot of Aboriginal lands and we refer to our lands as ‘country’. So you will always be welcome in the lands you have gathered in.
‘Welcome to the country is not a ceremony that we have invented to satisfy white people.
‘It’s a ceremony we’ve been doing for more than 250,000 years BC, and BC stands for Before Cooking.’
Some in the stadium let out a collective chuckle at the abbreviation, which referred to Captain James Cook’s arrival in Australia in 1770 and the beginning of European settlement.
Brendan Kerin, a cultural educator with the Sydney Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council, gave a rather forceful welcome to the country that he says was not invented for white people.
Mr Kerin continued: “Before colonisation, you could get into a lot of trouble for walking on someone else’s land without being welcome.”
“It is always an honor for me to perform this ceremony.”
‘The boundaries of the Eora Nation begin at the ocean and are surrounded by three of Australia’s most beautiful rivers.
‘We have the Hawkesbury River, the Nepean River and the Georges River. Between those three mighty and beautiful rivers there are 29 tribes that make up the Eora and the name of the tribe that we are meeting here this afternoon is Wann-gal.
‘On behalf of those Wann-gal ancestors and on behalf of the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council, welcome to the lands of the Wann-gal and the home of the mighty giants.’
The speech sent X into a meltdown and viewers debated whether it was refreshingly direct.
The speech was met with applause before Kerin played a short piece on the didgeridoo and then Mimi Velevska sang Advance Australia Fair.
However, shortly after, the moment caused X to go into meltdown and the song became one of the most popular in Australia.
Spectators hotly debated whether the forceful speech had scored a goal.
“This welcome to the country will have upset all the right people,” said one.
“A very good and informative welcome to the country tonight,” was one comment.
“Shame on them! They refer to BC as ‘pre-Cook’ and then lecture everyone,” one angry individual responded.
“It’s a joke for the progressives. Australia has fallen,” added a fourth.
Ceremonies have become a fixture at sporting events (pictured: Welcome to Country during the 2023 AFLW Round 7 match between the Adelaide Crows and the Western Bulldogs)
Uncle Colin Hunter Jr. performs the song Welcome to Country during the 2024 AFL Awards at Centrepiece on August 29, 2024 in Melbourne.
In terms of play, Brisbane boss Joe Daniher led his side to an AFL preliminary final, scoring the final two goals of an impressive five-point win over GWS.
Trailing by 44 points, last year’s grand finalists produced a spectacular performance with four goals in the third quarter, before Daniher reduced the margin to one point in the final period on Saturday.
With less than two minutes on the clock in front of 18,357 fans, Daniher battled Sam Taylor and scored inside the 50, kicking accurately to seal the victory 15.15 (105) to 15.10 (100).
The Lions will play Geelong in a preliminary final at the MCG as the Giants’ bid for a first title this year draws to a close.
With Lachie Neale struggling to get the tag of Toby Bedford, Jarrod Berry (27 disposals) and Will Ashcroft (27) stood out in midfield.
Dayne Zorko (two goals, 25 disposals) also stood out, while Charlie Cameron and Kai Lohmann scored two goals along with Daniher’s four.
Giants’ Aaron Cadman and Lions’ Harris Andrews compete for the ball during the 2024 AFL First Semi-Final match between the GWS GIANTS and Brisbane Lions at ENGIE Stadium.
Neale finished with 19 disposals and seven clearances after Bedford limited the two-time Brownlow Medallist to four touches and three clearances in the fourth quarter.
Jesse Hogan was outstanding for GWS and scored five goals, while Tom Green (33 possessions) worked desperately to resist the challenge.
Bedford, who returned to action after missing the qualifying final with a calf problem, made his presence felt immediately.
The highly-rated Giants player, scoring a one-two with midfielder Josh Kelly, advanced down the corridor to set up Aaron Cadman for the opening goal of the match.
Daniher slotted past Taylor for Brisbane’s opening goal, before Giants captain Toby Greene responded brilliantly to spark a four-goal haul.
The Lions’ key forward then reduced the 21-point deficit with his second goal after Isaac Cumming was caught holding the ball just in front of the goal, with the lead 10 points into the fourth quarter.
Cam Rayner (left) and Will Ashcroft (right) of the Lions celebrate the victory at the end of the match
Giants midfielder Stephen Coniglio was substituted for the match with a cheekbone injury after taking a heavy blow to the head when Harris Andrews tried to prevent Cadman from being marked.
Xavier O’Halloran entered the fray in the second period to replace Coniglio as the Giants rebuilt their 21-point lead.
A poor hand pass from Neale landed in the hands of Kieren Briggs and the GWS ruck scored a rare goal to open the third period.
The hosts raced to a game-high 44-point lead before the Lions scored five unanswered goals in less than eight minutes to begin their comeback.