Controversial welcome to country for AFL semi-final sparks bitter reaction
A ‘Welcome to Country’ speech before an AFL match has sparked heated debate for its particularly sharp tone, with some fans calling it a ‘disgrace’.
Brendan Kerin, a cultural educator with the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council in Sydney, delivered the speech, which 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 have previously caused controversy, with some Australians questioning why they should be welcomed into their own country, but Kerin said the tradition was misunderstood.
‘I am here tonight to perform a ceremony of Welcome to the Land… a “Welcome to Country” is not “welcome to Australia,” says Kerin.
‘In Australia we have a lot of Aboriginal areas and we call those areas ‘country’. So it is always a welcome in the countries where you come together.
“Welcome to the Country” is not a ceremony that we created specifically for white people.
“It’s a ceremony that we’ve been performing for over 250,000 years before Christ. BC stands for Before Cook.”
Some of the crowd in the stadium began to laugh collectively at the abbreviation, which referred to Captain James Cook’s arrival in Australia in 1770 and the beginning of European colonisation.
Brendan Kerin, a cultural educator at the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council in Sydney, gave a rather blunt Welcome to Country, which he said was not designed for white people
Mr Kerin continued: ‘Before colonisation, you could get into big trouble if you walked onto someone else’s land and you weren’t welcome there.’
“It is always an honor for me to perform this ceremony.”
The Eora nation’s borders 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 twenty-nine tribes that form the Eora and the name of the tribe that we have gathered here tonight is Wann-gal.
‘On behalf of the Wann-gal ancestors and on behalf of the local Aboriginal Land Council, welcome to Wann-gal country and home of the mighty giants.’
The speech caused a meltdown on X, with viewers debating whether it was refreshingly blunt
The speech was met with applause, after which Mr Kerin played a short piece on the didgeridoo and Mimi Velevska sang Advance Australia Fair.
But the moment soon caused a meltdown on X and the topic became one of the most trending topics in Australia.
There was heated debate among viewers as to whether the blunt speech had resulted in a goal.
“This welcome to the country will have irritated the right people,” someone said.
“Very good, informative Welcome to Country tonight,” was one of the comments.
“What a disgrace. Calling BC ‘Before Cook’ and then lecturing everyone,” one angry person fired back.
“Woke joke. Australia has fallen,” a fourth chimed in.
The 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 Jnr performs Welcome to Country during the 2024 AFL Awards at Centrepiece on August 29, 2024 in Melbourne
On the game front, Brisbane forward Joe Daniher led his team into the AFL preliminary rounds, scoring the final two goals in a stunning five-point win over GWS.
Trailing by 44 points, last year’s finalists scored four times in the third quarter before Daniher cut the margin to one point in the final period on Saturday.
With less than two minutes left on the clock in front of 18,357 fans, Daniher held off Sam Taylor and scored inside 50 metres to secure the win by 15.15 (105) to 15.10 (100).
The Lions play Geelong in a preliminary final at the MCG as the Giants’ campaign for their first championship of the year draws to a close.
While Lachie Neale fought off a tag from Toby Bedford, Jarrod Berry (27 disposals) and Will Ashcroft (27) were in midfield.
Dayne Zorko (two goals, 25 possessions) was also a star, while Charlie Cameron and Kai Lohmann scored two, to go with Daniher’s four goals.
Giants’ Aaron Cadman and Lions’ Harris Andrews battle for the ball during the 2024 AFL First Semi Final match between the GWS GIANTS and the Brisbane Lions at ENGIE Stadium
Neale finished with 19 disposals and seven clearances after Bedford restricted the two-time Brownlow Medallist to four touches and three clearances in the quarter-time.
Jesse Hogan had an excellent performance for GWS, scoring five goals, while Tom Green (33 possessions) desperately tried to withstand the challenge.
Bedford, who returned to the competition after missing the qualifying final due to a calf injury, made his presence felt straight away.
The highly-rated Giants tagger, who completed a one-two with midfielder Josh Kelly, ran down the corridor to set up Aaron Cadman for the game’s first goal.
Daniher outscored Taylor for Brisbane’s opening goal before Giants captain Toby Greene responded brilliantly to spark a four-goal run.
The Lions forward reduced the 21-point deficit with his second goal after Isaac Cumming was caught holding the ball in front of goal, leaving the difference at 10 points at half-time.
Lions’ Cam Rayner (L) and Will Ashcroft (R) celebrate victory in the final game
Giants midfielder Stephen Coniglio was forced to leave the game with a cheekbone injury after suffering a hard blow to the head as Harris Andrews tried to stop Cadman from scoring.
Xavier O’Halloran entered the fray in the second term, replacing Coniglio, as the Giants extended their lead to 21 points.
A poor handpass from Neale found the hands of Kieren Briggs and the GWS ruck scored a rare goal early in the third period.
The home side extended their lead to 44 points, the most of the game, before the Lions scored five straight goals in less than eight minutes to begin their comeback.
