The full Indigenous All Stars coaching panel for the one-off marquee pre-season clash against Fremantle has been finalised, with a quartet of Indigenous coaches to join head coach Xavier Clarke in the box.
Port Adelaide development coach Jason Williams, Fremantle male NGA and game development coach Roger Hayden, North Melbourne development coach and Indigenous player development manager Jarrod Lienert, and West Coast Eagles First Nations player development manager Chance Bateman will assist in coaching the team.
At the same time, renowned high-performance specialist Darren Burgess from Adelaide will also be involved with the team as the high-performance manager.
The news comes after North Melbourne assistant coach Xavier Clarke was announced as the head coach of the side in December.
AFL EGM of Social Policy and Inclusion Tanya Hosch said the Indigenous representation was outstanding.
โIt is fantastic to have an all-Indigenous coaching panel join Xavier for this significant match,โ said Ms Hosch.
โWe want to see Indigenous representation increase across the board in football, including within the coaching ranks, so to have an all-Indigenous coaching panel for this game is terrific.โ
AFL executive general manager Laura Kane was thrilled by the endorsement from clubs and the willingness of coaches to apply for the roles spoke volumes about the anticipation for the match.
โSince we announced the match, the buy-in from the clubs, players and coaches, has been exceptional and we were inundated with applications for the various roles within the program,โ said Ms Kane.
โWe are thrilled to appoint these coaches and give them the opportunity to work with Xavier and in turn gain valuable experience in their coaching pathway.
โWe are also delighted to have Darren Burgess join a number of highly experienced club staff across a variety of roles.
โDarren's experience will help ensure this program is run in line with the expectations of the players' clubs ahead of the start of the Toyota premiership season.
โThe team that has been announced so far is unbelievable and I know fans are excited to get to Optus Stadium on February 15th.โ
Currently, Fremantle trio Alex Pearce, Shai Bolton and Michael Walters, Eagle Liam Ryan, Lions premiership duo Charlie Cameron and Callum Ah Chee, 2023 Norm Smith medallist Bobby Hill, Saint winger Brad Hill, Melbourne livewire forward Kysaiah Pickett, Adelaide x-factor Izak Rankine and Hawks defender Jarman Impey have been named in the side.