Moorditj Magic: The Story of Jim and Phillip Krakouer. By Sean Edward Gorman BA (Hons) Murdoch University A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy At Murdoch University March 2004 DECLARATION I declare that this dissertation is my own account of my research and contains as its main content work, which has not previously been submitted for a degree at any tertiary education institution. …………………………………. Sean Edward Gorman. ii ABSTRACT This thesis analyses and investigates the issue of racism in the football code of Australian Rules to understand how racism is manifested in Australian daily life. In doing this, it considers biological determinism, Indigenous social obligation and kinship structure, social justice and equity, government policy, the media, local history, everyday life, football culture, history and communities and the emergence of Indigenous players in the modern game. These social issues are explored through the genre of biography and the story of the Noongar footballers, Jim and Phillip Krakouer, who played for Claremont and North Melbourne in the late 1970’s and 1980’s. This thesis, in looking at Jim and Phillip Krakouers careers, engages with other Indigenous footballer’s contributions prior to the AFL introducing Racial and Religious Vilification Laws in 1995. This thesis offers a way of reading cultural texts and difference to understand some Indigenous and non-Indigenous relationships in an Australian context. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I have often wondered where I would be if I had not made the change from work to study in 1992. In doing this I have followed a path that has taken me down many roads to many doors and in so doing I have been lucky to meet many wonderful and generous people. My first acknowledgment must go to the person who set me on this path and twice saved my life in the process. Brad Gilbert. With Brad’s support, patience and understanding he has helped me throughout many difficult and weird times and for that I cannot thank him enough. Cheers mate. To the Krakouer family: Eric, Jim, Phillip, Nola and your families thankyou for allowing me to come into your lives and share your story with a stranger. I am truly honoured and grateful for this opportunity. To my diligent and generous supervisors Kathy Trees and Deborah Robertson who have listened to me, imparted valuable advice and given of their time thankyou for guiding me through this journey. To Glen Stasiuk and all the staff and students (past and present) at the Kulbardi Aboriginal Centre at Murdoch University thankyou for the opportunities and the friendships I have made. Thanks also to Steve Kinnane, Dave Wish-Wilson, Michelle Carey, Denise Groves, Len Collard, John Fielder, Tony Buti, and Dave Palmer for your collegial support and friendship. To Ron Joseph and Martin Flanagan who without your help I would not have been able to start or maintain this project, I cannot thankyou enough. To Greg Champion thank you for giving me permission to use the lyrics to the song The Chant of Jimmy Krakouer. To Denis McInerney, Mike and Bernie Dolbey, Steve Hawke, Rod Austin, Graham Moss, Wal Maskiell, Allan Carpenter, Barry Cheatley and Michael Gawenda and his staff at The Age thank you for your help when I requested it. To the administrative staff at Murdoch University Lyn Dale, Janice Pell, Trish Coyne, Karen Olkowski and especially Cheryl Miller who patiently formatted this doctorate thank you so much. Thanks also to the administrative staff at Claremont Football Club and the West Australian Ministry of Justice. To my friends Brad and Nerida, Bev and Susanna, Brad and Mandy, Mr and Mrs Rodney Hoggett, Glen and Rachel, Butch and Jen, Darryl and Jodie, Felicity and Damon, Jahne and Chris, Ian and Tina, Jim and Sally, Simon, Suzz and Lummy, Kath and Karl,Greg and Jo, Ben and Bec, Helen Parry, Mandy Yip, Phil and Charmaine, Alan and Karina, Warren Pitt, Ian and Victoria, Marty and Lisa and Spencer, thanks. To cousin Kait, Phil Culmsee, Bruce and Elenaor Wright, Gary and Trudi Sandilands, Ken Gillam, Diane McDonald, Riley and Sog, Lousie Beulke and staff at the Richmond Club Hotel, Jenny Henzell, Nell, Ian and Lee, Emerson, Carly, Pip, Nick, Reen Greg, Pia, Anthony, Sonia, Sam Hayes, management and staff at the iv Fremantle Arts Centre, management and staff at Visual Entertainment Group, the Fremantle Dockers, the people of Mt Barker and everyone who agreed to be interviewed also thanks. To the Gorman family, especially Annette, who transcribed the vast majority of my interviews and had all the patience that a mother could afford (and Dad who endured it), Ainsley and Jamie you are very dear to my heart. Which brings me to the two most important people in my life - Mon and Clay - I am sorry for all the time I spent away and all the time I spent working alone but without either of you this would simply mean nothing. This is for both of you. v vi CONTENTS ABSTRACT ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS INTRODUCTION 1 1 Town Country 1.1 Max Walker’s Moustache 9 1.2 Home Ground 21 1.3 Untold 31 1.4 Boundary Line 42 1.5 “See you next Sunday” 49 1.6 Nosey Wadjular Business 54 1.7 Brother Boys & Sister Girls 60 1.8 Common Denominator 79 1.9 Waiting Rooms 83 1.10Northie’s & Southie’s 85 1.11Dangerous Sorts 87 1.12 Long Road 92 1.13 Unfolding 94 1.14 Mr Magic 100 2 The Big Move 2.1 Tigerland 115 2.2 “Come up and have a crack” 117 2.3 Better-than-average ability 123 2.4 X2 130 2.5 Saturday Night Tuesday Afternoon 134 2.6 Shaking Hands & Shrugging Shoulders 142 2.7 Four acres and a river view 146 2.8 Family Plans 154 2.9 Physical &Verbal 163 2.10 Words & Sounds 168 2.11 New Directions 172 2.12 Face in the Crowd 178 2.13 Polly and the Krakouers 182 2.14 Sticks & Stones 189 2.15 Old Boys New Boys 192 2.16 Milk & Beer 207 3 Another Country 3.1 Arden Street 226 3.2 Settling in 235 3.3 Concerns & Entertainment 241 vii 3.4 Hard Knocks & Lessons 249 3.5 Streets & Homes 253 3.6 Squaring the Ledger 263 3.7 Up and Down 275 3.8 Krakouer Uncanny 300 3.9 A changing game 320 3.10 Nobody stops anybody 336 3.11 Turning point 352 3.12 Final sirens & full-time scores 368 4 Conclusion 4.1 Enjoyment & Understanding 374 BIBLIOGRAPHY 379 GLOSSARY 390 viii The names of deceased people are mentioned in this document. This may cause some readers some concern or distress. ix INTRODUCTION In 2001, at the Australian Football League’s national draft, Beverley Knight the Director of Essendon Football Club and Eddie McGuire, Collingwood Football Club’s President sat next to each other. The expectation in the room was palpable as the 16 AFL clubs, in order of preference, chose players. At number 11 it was Collingwood’s turn and they duly picked Richard Cole, a young man from Tennant Creek – Warumungu Country. McGuire turned to Knight and said, “Yknow Beverley we would not have been able to draft him three years ago.”1 McGuire said this because Collingwood had developed a bad relationship with many Indigenous communities and people because of the vilification experienced by Indigenous players Michael Long and Nicky Winmar at Collingwood’s homeground Victoria Park in 1993. It seems both alarming and sad that a football club in the late nineties could not draft an Indigenous player because the negative backlash from its supporters would be too great. More recently, the redemptive power of sport has seen Collingwood make a huge cultural and social shift and now sees them embrace Indigenous footballers, for instance Cole and, in particular, Leon Davis. In a game at the MCG in 1999, St Kilda’s ruck Spider Everett and Melbourne’s Scott Chisholm verbally sledged one another. Chisholm “had a go” at Everett for his poor performance and lack of fitness and Everett taunted Chisholm about his mouth-guard, which was coloured red, black and yellow, the colours of pan-Indigenous Australia. As the ball came down into St Kilda’s forward line Everett kicked a goal. He then sought Chisholm out, grabbed him by the jumper and proceeded to call him a “black cunt” to his face. 1 Buti, Tony & Mhando, Martin. AFL: Not Just a Game. Murdoch University, Murdoch, 2002. 1 A few years later, Chisholm was interviewed for the documentary AFL: Not Just A Game and recalls how he felt after the incident with Everett: It turned me off football, it turned me off where I wanted to be. You have to take it and fight it because if you don’t fight it it’s going to happen to some other young boy who has never faced the vilification that I did that day.2 Under the AFL’s rule 30 Everett was ordered to pay $20 000 dollars to a charity of Chisholm’s choice. Since this incident there has not been any major vilification cases and the AFL regularly run cross-cultural workshops and discussions for players and staff of AFL clubs. On the fourth of January 1992, a young Indigenous man had been to a party to celebrate his 19th birthday. Laying down on the side of the road to rest a car-load of white youths came across him, beat him and then ran over him. His name was Louis Johnson. Despite having massive internal injuries, Johnson was still lucid enough to describe the incident to a cyclist who had found him at 7am.