HAWTHORN Football Club has unveiled its new Indigenous guernsey, which will be worn by the team in its Round 10 clash with Brisbane Lions.
Indigenous players Shaun Burgoyne, Bradley Hill, Cyril Rioli and Jermaine Miller-Lewis collaborated with Yorta Yorta/Wiradjuri painter Jirra Lulla-Harvey to create this year’s Indigenous Round guernsey.
The design process has been a twelve-month journey for Lulla-Harvey and the Hawthorn players.
Artist Jirra Lulla-Harvey with Hawthorn's Jermaine Miller-Lewis.
The guernsey follows on from the story of the first Indigenous guernsey worn by the club. The inaugural Indigenous guernsey represented the Hawthorn local area, while the new design represents each of Hawthorn’s current Indigenous players and their joining together on the land of the Wurundjeri.
Lulla-Harvey, who designed the guernsey in consultation with the players, said the new design aims to capture the story and culture of each of the players.
“I wanted to try and capture their different journeys and individual motifs that represented each of them,” said Lulla-Harvey.
“The players are the ones that fans want to know about, they are everyone’s heroes and so for the fans to get an insight into their life outside football and their cultural identities, I think is really important.”
Hawthorn's Bradley Hill.
Cyril Rioli, who contributed to the design process, said he was excited to run out in the guernsey in Round 10.
“It is going to be amazing to wear the guernsey and the family will be excited too. It will be great to run out with the other boys and having their designs on the guernsey also,” he said.
A special feature of the Indigenous guernsey is a short story from each Indigenous player that sits inside the collar of the jumper.
Hawthorn's Shaun Burgoyne.
The club will also wear the guernsey in Round 22 when it takes on West Coast at Domain Stadium.
Hawthorn Football Club currently has five indigenous players on its list; Burgoyne, Rioli, Hill, Miller-Lewis and Kieran Lovell, who was recruited by the club in 2015 NAB AFL Draft.
All of Hawthorn’s Indigenous Programs are made possible with the wonderful support of the Epic Good Foundation.
