Sam Newman tees off on AFL Grand Final's 'patronising nonsense' Welcome To Country

Former Geelong captain Sam Newman has unleashed a tirade aimed at the AFL’s honouring of Indigenous people on Grand Final day.

As with most major sporting events in Australia, the AFL included an official Welcome to Country by Uncle Colin Hunter Jr as well as an Acknowledgement of Country by Hamish McLachlan.

Throughout the pre-game proceedings, there were tributes played out to the late Elder Uncle Jack Charles who was a prominent figure on NITV’s Yokayi Footy and the voice of the finals campaign.

Uncle Jack Charles passed away at the age of 79 earlier this month.

However, the touching tributes didn’t sit well with Newman who slammed the ‘Indigenous show of just nonsense’ on his You Cannot Be Serious podcast.

He said: “The grand final day was marred by … this patronising nonsense about us welcoming the original landowners to this country.

“Absolutely we admire and we respect and we give thanks to the traditional land owners for where the game is to be played and we acknowledge that.

“But the virtuous, patronising nonsense that the AFL go on with. A patronising campaign to foster this feigned indignation to divert from their own paranoid white privilege – all they do is drive a wedge between the footballing public, yet we see through it.

“We had a man with a beard who came out and told us … about where the boundaries of all the various tribes and things go. Just an absolute propaganda chat about nothing.”

Newman then took aim at the eulogy to Uncle Jack, claiming he didn’t have anything to do with football.

He continued: “And then a man with the jolly title of Uncle Jack.

“They did a eulogy to an Indigenous man called Uncle Jack, who I believe didn’t play football at all.

“Why would you have to actually give him a eulogy at the grand final. For what reason? It’s a sheer projection of its patronising nonsense.

“We had three references to Indigenous people. Good on ‘em, but I mean how many times did they have to fall over themselves to show that we’re being woke, we’re enlightened – we don’t have to be told that.”

Ah, yes the only people to use the term ‘woke’ are the ones that can’t be bothered enough to get educated on the topic. 

Newman later took aim at the AFL for using non-binary star G-Flip in the halftime show saying that the AFL was just trying to cover a base.

Some people just enjoy being angry.