HORSHAM and Dimboola players will don new guernseys and netball bibs on Saturday for the flagship match of the Indigenous Recognition Round.
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The match will mark the sixth year the round has been part of the Wimmera Football League fixture.
Both sides will play for the Goodes Brothers Cup, which is named after Wimmera AFL exports Adam and Brett Goodes.
Horsham's standout player will receive the Damien Skurrie medal, while Dimboola's best will be presented with the Lester Marks-Harradine medal.
Round co-ordinator and former Horsham player Damien Skurrie said the round was about promoting and recognising indigenous players and the traditional owners of the land.
“It’s also about providing a link between non-Indigenous and Indigenous players,” he said.
“Football, and sport in general, is a good chance build bridges.”
Skurrie said while the spotlight was on the Horsham and Dimboola match, other clubs would fly the Aboriginal flag during the round.
“It is also a chance for clubs to look into the history books and learn more about their heritage,” he said.
Skurrie said previously the focus of the round had been on football, but netball also had a big part to play.
“This year at Horsham we have designed netball bibs for the ladies to wear to try to get the whole club involved,” he said.
Skurrie’s mother Suzie Skurrie designed the bibs.
Dimboola coach Allistair McKinnon said it would be a big occasion for both clubs.
“The game is really all in our hands – if we play well, we can match up to anyone,” he said. “We just need to put four quarters together and attack the ball.”
McKinnon said Indigenous round was a good opportunity to recognise the club’s heritage.
“We have a strong Indigenous background at Dimboola and we will do what we can to make all our past and current players proud,” he said.
Demons coach Louie Dalziel said it was getting towards the business end of the season and teams were starting to look at the run home. “Like all sides, we are starting to up the ante at training in preparation for finals,” he said.
“We need to continue to play the style and brand of footy that we want to play and then hopefully the game will take care of itself.
“Dimboola is a difficult team to play against, they are always competitive out on the ground.”
The Demons have a full list of players to choose from this week, with no injuries plaguing the team.
Dalziel said Indigenous round would be a great opportunity to pay respect to the region’s heritage.