AFL fans applaud Welcome to Country ceremony at The Gabba after Sam Newman called for booing
Footy fans have sent a blunt message to Sam Newman after cheering and clapping at the Welcome to Country ceremony during the AFL preliminary final.
Newman had urged fans to ban ceremonies at football matches and public gatherings, while also suggesting people “clap slowly” instead.
The Gabba in Brisbane was packed on Saturday evening as fans turned out to watch the Lions take on Carlton.
Prior to kickoff, prominent Indigenous culture speaker Shannon Ruska delivered the Welcome to Country introduction.
He then asked the crowd to join in the chant of ‘Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi’.
Fans (pictured) at Saturday’s AFL preliminary final between the Brisbane Lions and Carlton were turned away by football great Sam Newman to jeer at the Indigenous Welcome to Country ceremonies
“Now there’s one song, as we have 300 Aboriginal nations, we can’t all speak the same language, but we can sing one song that brings us all together, I think,” Ruska said.
“These are Australian rules, so has anyone heard the ‘Aussie Aussie’ chant?”
Fans eagerly joined in the chant, as huge shouts of ‘Oi, Oi, Oi’ filled the stadium.
Before kickoff, prominent Indigenous cultural speaker Shannon Ruska delivered the Welcome to Country ceremony
The rapturous reception of the Welcome to Country did not go unnoticed, with many taking the opportunity to criticize Newman online for his failed attempt to avoid the ceremony.
‘Best Welcome to Country at the Gabba. Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Ou, Oi, Oi!’ one tweeted.
“Did I miss the slow clapping and cheering that Sam Newman called for? That seemed pretty unifying to me,” said another.
“Well, that should keep Sam Newman cooking for another week,” one person wrote.
‘Welcome to Country goes off like fireworks at the Gabba, not a single boo, and ends with Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, and huge cheers. Thanks Sam Newman, go away,” said one footy fan.
“That’s a welcome to a country that unites rather than divides,” said another, pointing out that the players were smiling at the reception.
The rapturous reception of the Welcome to Country did not go unnoticed, with many taking the opportunity to criticize Newman online for his failed attempt to avoid the ceremony.
Newman, a former Collingwood ruckman turned media personality, had expressed his views on the traditional ceremony on his podcast ‘You Cannot Be Serious’ this week.
“The next time you go to a public event like the grand final, a football match or any other public event and they’re belting out the Welcome to Country, start cheering,” he said.
His comments sparked reactions from several people, including Senator Lidia Thorpe, who fired at the former footballer, saying Welcome to Country was about peace and bringing people together.
“Sam Newman, I’m not sure why he’s even in the news. He is irrelevant to any debate,” she said on Nine’s The Today Show on Thursday morning.
‘It’s about peace. The whole message behind it is respect.’
Newman doubled down while speaking on The Opposition Podcast, claiming the ceremony divided people on issues of race.
‘Are we tired of this? I’ve been working on this for a while. I find it insulting and humiliating to be welcomed into a country where I live,” Newman said on the podcast.
AFL great Sam Newman (pictured) encouraged people to cheer Welcome to Country ceremonies at sporting events and public gatherings