Port Adelaide legend Gavin Wanganeen joins cast of Australian Survivor

Gavin Wanganeen retired from the AFL 15 years ago and is facing his toughest physical challenge since – the harsh Outback terrain of Australian Survivor.

Gavin Wanganeen’s feats on the football field inspired a generation of Indigenous children to reach for their dreams – now the Port Adelaide legend is hoping he can do it again as one of the contestants on the new season of Channel 10’s reality show Australian Survivor.

Fifteen years after his AFL retirement, Wanganeen will join 23 other castaways on the much-anticipated TV series, which this year was filmed in outback Queensland.

The 48-year-old football legend said his foray into the world of reality TV was as much about setting a positive example for Indigenous youth as it was competing for the title of Australia’s ultimate survivor.

“It’s great to see there’s Indigenous representation on our (TV) screens. To represent my mob and my community … it’s something I’m really proud of,” Wanganeen said.

“Hopefully, it gives young people growing up something to aspire to but especially Indigenous kids who come from very disadvantaged backgrounds and, by nature, are very shy.

“It’s good for them to see Aboriginal people being represented and, hopefully, it gives them aspirations to go on, have a crack and showcase themselves as individuals but also their culture.”

The competitive juices still flow in Wanganeen, who won AFL premierships with Essendon in 1993 and the Power in 2004, and was the first Aboriginal player to reach 300 AFL games. He was also the 1993 Brownlow Medal winner.

Gavin Wanganeen on Australian Survivor. Picture: Nigel Wright / Ten.

“You do miss the physical side of the game and the competitive side, and Survivor has that. My strengths are obviously going to be in the physical side and socially as I feel I get along well with people,” he said.

Wanganeen admitted the harsh Outback conditions almost got the better of him at times, and he desperately missed wife Pippa and his six children. “It was extremely tough. You had the heat during the day and the freezing cold nights, which took me by surprise – how bloody cold it was,” he said.

“The hardest part was you’d be sitting there and you’d gaze up at the stars and you start thinking about your family. That was really hard and you can get really emotional quite quickly. But it excited me to be tested and go out of my comfort zone. I thought it would be a wonderful experience and it was.”

And if Wanganeen wins the Survivor crown, how would it rank on his list of achievements?

“It would be right up there – but you’ll just have to wait and see.”

Australian Survivor premieres Sunday night, Ten, 7.30pm