Many Brownlow Medal viewers were shocked to see a welcoming speech delivered before the ceremony.
The AFL Night of Nights ceremony kicked off on Monday night with stars including Nick Daicos, Marcus Bontempelli, Patrick Cripps and Lachie Neale vying for the prestigious award.
However, those watching at the start of the official meeting were shocked to see a Welcome to the Country speech from elderly uncle Colin Hunter Jnr. He also led the ceremony during last year’s Brownlow Medal before it began.
Many AFL fans took to social media to express their frustration over the speech, which recognises Australia’s indigenous heritage.
‘F**k me to death. So now the Brownlow Medal has a Welcome to Country!! What a f**king joke,’ fumed one.
Another added: ‘This Aboriginal takeover of the entire AFL is a f**king joke. Disgusting. You and your Aboriginal mates can fuck off.’
A third commented: ‘Welcome to the Brownlow coverage country, are you serious?’
A continued: ‘I wonder how many people changed the channel when Welcome to Country aired?’
Elder Uncle Colin Hunter Jnr (pictured) delivered a Welcome to Country address at the Brownlow Medal ceremony on Monday
The Brownlow Medal ceremony began at 8pm on Monday night with AFL stars Nick Daicos (left), Marcus Bontempelli, Patrick Cripps and Lachie Neale – who competed for the prestigious award
Other commentators wondered why some viewers made such a fuss about the traditional welcoming of the indigenous people.
‘Oh no, they just did a Welcome to Country at the Brownlow. Get ready for all the racists who don’t need to be “welcome to my own country”,’ wrote one.
Another added: ‘People make such a big deal about Welcome to Country, they do this every year. I don’t understand why you’re surprised.’
The controversy arose after Mathew Stokes, winner of the premiership for the indigenous Geelong Party, found the Welcome to Country ceremonies too divisive.
The 200-game Cats legend also expressed hope that Australians “can have their say on Welcome to Country without being called racist”.
His comments came after the ceremony ahead of the recent semi-final between GWS and Brisbane was criticised by angry fans, who branded it a “disgrace” after master of ceremonies Brendan Kerin said the rituals were “not designed to meet the needs of white people”.
Stokes also indicated that he had “no interest” in the Welcome to Country song being performed before major competitions he competed in because it made him feel “uncomfortable.”
“Welcome to Country should be a beautiful, respectful ceremony that unites us as we reflect on Australia’s extraordinary history, which stretches back long before white colonisation,” he wrote in The age.
‘Instead it is divisive and frankly I can understand why many people don’t understand the purpose of it given that the AFL finals broadcast broadcasts the ceremonies to millions of football fans.
‘I feel that in some cases this moment is being abused by people who, when they are watching on television in front of over a million people, take the opportunity to express their own views rather than giving everyone present the opportunity to show respect for the deep history of the country where the game is being played.’
Many AFL fans expressed frustration with the speech, which recognised Australia’s indigenous heritage
The 39-year-old, who won flags with the Cats in 2007, 2009 and 2011, called for a “real debate” about the ceremonies, but added: “That can only happen if people can have their say about Welcome to Country without being labelled racist.”
Stokes then revealed how he, as a player, surprisingly reacted to the ceremonies.
“As an Aboriginal person with a love and respect for my culture and our traditions, I was not interested in the Welcome to Country program before a grand final,” he said.
‘As a player I concentrated on what would happen when the ball bounced.
‘To be honest, while it may be all well and good for everyone outside the border, as an Aboriginal man, as part of the game, you may feel uncomfortable at that point.’
He also said that the Welcome Party is “being exaggerated, diminishing its impact, especially when the ceremony is used to push certain agendas.”
The ceremony ahead of the GWS final against Brisbane in Sydney earlier this month – which also saw Krein claim that Welcomes were held 250,000 years before Captain James Cook reached Australia – prompted outrage from politician Pauline Hanson and footballing legend Tony Shaw.
Hanson called the rituals “one of the most racially divisive features of modern Australian discourse” and later called on football fans to turn their backs on them before matches.
Shaw, who led Collingwood to the flag in 1990, called the AFL “weak” and “politically correct” for not publicly criticising Kerin for her views on the ceremony.
Channel Nine football commentator Tony Jones also weighed in on the controversy. He said the AFL should vet the partygoers’ statements before they give their welcome speeches, to prevent future scandals.
Geelong premiership winner Mathew Stokes (pictured) is fed up with Welcome to Country being used to push political agendas
The Cats legend also revealed that the welcome messages performed before the biggest games he attended made him feel ‘uncomfortable’
“Whether you agree with Welcome to Country or not, I think football fans should show a fair amount of respect. But there is a problem. There is a problem and the AFL needs to address it,” Jones said.
‘This is a commemoration at Saturday night’s Welcome to Country… there was laughter and I’ll tell you why: because these Welcomes have no personal agendas and shouldn’t have any.
“They really shouldn’t be there to make political statements and I’m not sure the AFL checks the scripts. Maybe they do now because those comments didn’t go down well with some people in the audience.