It’s a midweek morning in Darwin and, as the temperature ticks past 30 degrees, footballers Charlie and Aiden McAdam and Keegan Dingo turn their attention to a little town in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area in NSW, where the mercury has only just edged into double figures.
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Coleambally is the trio’s home-away-from-home this winter, a long journey south to play in the Farrer League. And each week, they check in to suss out a little info on the upcoming opposition.
This week, it’s The Rock-Yerong Creek.
But it’s so much more, too, as the AFL celebrates Indigenous Round (this year named after former Fitzroy player, Sir Doug Nicholls).
“Definitely, it’s a really good week for us,” Charlie McAdam says with a warm chuckle that suggests just how much it means.
The McAdam cousins carry the name of one of Australia’s best known footballing families.
Charlie’s father, Gilbert, was best-on-ground the day Nicky Winmar famously lifted his jumper at Victoria Park in 1993, after entering a pact with his St Kilda teammate to show Collingwood fans what they were made of.
“The big talking point is racism in sport and I think the AFL’s come a long way to stamping it out,” McAdam says.
“I know Dad used to cop it in his day, and other players like Michael Long… but I think education is a big part (of eradicating racism). Probably a lot of people down south haven’t lived with Indigenous people and know the challenges in our communities, so education is a big part of it.”
McAdam, 27, works for the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Association in Darwin, and says with his father and uncles playing AFL, football has always been a major factor in his life.
And he knows the value it can play in the lives of others.
“I’ve always looked at footy as a positive tool, it teaches you about life, learning to share the workload, help each other out. It’s definitely a positive,” he says.
“It’s also somewhere where they can get out of a situation – footy clubs can be like a family community, which can really help people.”
McAdam says the Darwin trio are enjoying the Coleambally venture, and have received a warm welcome.
But they’re still getting used to the footy.
“It’s that real contested footy, crash and bash and lots of stoppages,” he says, although he has spent time in the area before, playing in the Ovens and Murray League and the Murray League.
The Blues were soundly beaten by North Wagga before last week’s bye and have had just one win from four games.
“They took the game on,” McAdam says of the Saints.
“We tried a fair bit but just couldn’t execute it. They brought a good game plan I though, locking it down for us trying to bring it out, and slowing it down so they could man up. They were pretty good.”
But the versatile midfielder/flanker is hoping they can get back on track against the Pies this week, as Dingo settles in to his second game with the club.
“He’s real classy, he reads the ball well across half-back and just brings that experience,” McAdam says.
“Our main asset is to bring that outside run, receiving and using the ball so with me and Keegan, it’s trying to get the run going.
“For Aiden it’s to bring something unpredictable to the forward line.”
McAdam points out that Aiden is at a different stage of his career.
“This is his first time playing senior footy in an A Grade comp so he’s finding his way and learning,” McAdam says. “It’s a good chance for him to get used to senior footy because he wants to break into senior footy up here in our comp.”