With a seemingly innate ability to measure flair, skill and intuition, players of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island heritage have had turnstiles ticking for decades.
High marks, flying runs and mercurial goals are what makes our game special and none are better performers and proponents than the descendants of the first Australians.
The role that Indigenous Australians have played in not only shaping Australian Rules Football, but also consistently looking to extend its boundaries cannot be stated emphatically enough.
This weekend, the AFL community will come together for Sir Doug Nicholls round. A chance for Australians of every creed, colour or denomination to pay respect to the games indigenous culture and champions.
Zero Hanger thought this would be the perfect opportunity to decide who every club's best Indigenous player is since the turn of the century.
Geelong
Matthew Stokes
The Cats were served by the greatest ever Indigenous player to ever lace a pair of boots in โPolly' Farmer. Continuing the revolutionary ruck's legacy in hoops was Matthew Stokes.
The two-time premiership player averaged better than a goal a game in his time at Kardinia Park, before ending his career at Essendon. Stokes is not only a proud Larrakia man, he also has Filipino and Spanish heritage.
