Strong SANFL connection at 2025 AFL Indigenous All-Stars match
By PETER ARGENT
Headlining the Indigenous All-Stars squad is a strong cohort of exciting South Australian talents who have a rich history coming through our SANFL state league program as the marquee match returns to the national stage on February 15.
The Indigenous All-Stars will play for the first time in a decade, against the Fremantle Dockers at Optus Stadium this Saturday at 7pm SA time.
Included in the 2025 squad are Woodville-West Torrens junior Jase Burgoyne, No.1 AFL draft selection Jason Horne-Francis from South Adelaide, Melbourne premiership player Kozzie Pickett, West Adelaide junior Izak Rankine, Eagles and Geelong flag winner Tyson Stengle and Glenelg Under 16s title-winner Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, who have direct connections to SANFL football.
Ash Johnson was drafted from SANFL club Sturt and 2025 captain Michael “Son Son” Walters’ father “Micky Senior” played for Central District in the mid 1980s.
Tiwi Islands’ Willie Rioli was drafted from Glenelg as well, after a couple of productive years with the SANFL Tigers.
The All-Stars concept began in 1983, at Sarah Oval in Mildura, where an All-Aboriginal team coached by Narungga man Michael Wanganeen (an uncle of Brownlow Medallist Gavin) and captained by future Australian Football Hall of Famer Stephen Michael played a Richmond side on the long weekend in October.
That side included a plethora of South Australian greats of that era.
Wilbur Wilson of Central District fame played at centre half-back, while the legendary Michael “Flash” Graham, after playing in the SANFL Grand Final the day before, travelled up overnight to play in this fixture.
Other SANFL players in the side included three of the other Graham boys Colin, Phil and Cecil.
West Torrens footballer Peter Carter, Mark Motlop, who would come down and play at Glenelg and Greg McAdam – who had already won a best and fairest at North Adelaide -along with Kevin Hill, who played for the Eagles, were participants as well.
The All-Star side beat a combined Richmond and Sunraysia team by mammoth 138 -point margin 37.11 (223) to 14. 11 (95).
Some 11 years later, in 1994, there was a game between Collingwood and the Aboriginal All-Stars in Darwin before the current concept started in 2003.
West Adelaide draftee Izak Rankine in action for the SA U18 team. He will line-up for the AFL’s Indiegnous All-Stars team this weekend. Picture – Peter Argent
Biannually for the next 12 seasons, an All-Stars team played an AFL club.
The first one was captained by Port Adelaide SANFL premiership player and Adelaide Crows champion Andrew McLeod, with the All-Stars beating Carlton by 20 points.
Each of the first four games were at Marrara Stadium in Darwin (now called TIO Stadium), with Adam Goodes, who started his football on the Yorke Peninsula, the Polly Farmer Medallist as best-on-ground in the 2003 contest.
In 2005, the All-Stars defeated the Western Bulldogs by 28 points, two years later, with Andrew McLeod as the best player, the All-Stars suffered their first defeat going down to Essendon by 50 points.
They rebounded in 2009 with a big win over the Adelaide Crows, with McLeod as captain and Port Adelaide and Hawthorn great Shaun Burgoyne as his deputy.
North Adelaide, SANFL state and Kangaroos talent Mat Campbell was best-on-ground. The 2011 game against Richmond was cancelled due to inclement weather and in 2013 Richmond played the All-Stars and went down by 50 points with former Central District junior and Swans star, Michael O’Loughlin, the coach for that game.
The preceding match to this weekend’s contest, back in February 2015, was between the All-Stars and West Coast Eagles with the hosts winning at Leederville Oval in Perth by eight points.
Shaun Burgoyne was captain and the Polly Farmer Medallist.
A forerunner to this concept began in the 1970s, when an All-Aboriginal side played against Papua New Guinea, having two matches in 1973 in PNG and a third in Canberra after the Australian National Aboriginal Championships of 1974.
In the touring party to PNG from SA were Wilfred “Wilbur” Wilson, Tim Agius, five-time Sturt premiership rover Roger Rigney, Leon Wanganeen and Brian Warrior.
Sturt’s Roger Rigney. Picture – Peter Argent
2025 AFL Indigenous All-Stars Squad - Heritage (Bold = SANFL connection)
Callum Ah Chee – Noongar, Palyku and Nyikina, Yawuru
Karl Amon – Noonuccal
Shai Bolton – Minang and Wilman
Jase Burgoyne – Kokatha, Larraki, Warai
Charlie Cameron – Waanyi and Lardil
Jeremy Finlayson – Yorta Yorta
Jade Gresham – Yorta Yorta
Bobby Hill – Whadjuk, Ballardong, Noongar
Brad Hill – Wilmen, Noongar
Jason Horne-Francis – Wardaman
Lawson Humphries – Nyul Nyul, Oomiday, Worrora
Jarman Impey – Yorta Yorta
Joel Jeffrey – Kukatj, Wulwulam
Ash Johnson – Jaru, Kija
Liam Jones – Kija
Tim Kelly – Noongar, Wongi, Yamatji
Coen Livingstone – Balardong, Noongar
Ben Long – Anmatjerre
Steven May – Larrakia
Jesse Motlop – Larrakia
Alex Pearce – Palawa
Kysaiah Pickett – Yamatji, Noongar
Willie Rioli – Tiwi
Maurice Rioli jnr – Tiwi
Liam Ryan – Yamatji
Izak Rankine – Kokatha and Ngarrindjeri
Tyson Stengle – Wirangu
Jy Simpkin – Yorta Yorta
Michael Walters – Whadjuk, Wilmen and Ngarrindjeri
Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera – Kokatha, Narangga
Zac Williams – Wiradjuri
The 1973 Aboriginal All-Stars team departing for Papua New Guinea. SA’s Wilbur Wilson is fourth from the right in the back row while Roger Rigney is fifth from the left.
