Map highlights regions Indigenous NRL players hail from
To celebrate Indigenous round the NRL has mapped the cultural background of each Indigenous and Torres Strait Island player in the NRL and NRLW, revealing the background of our biggest stars.
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An NRL player of Indigenous heritage doesn’t just represent a people or a community when they take the field — they carry the strength of 60,000 years of history with them.
To celebrate Indigenous Round, the NRL has mapped the cultural background of each Indigenous and Torres Strait Island player in the NRL and NRLW which reveals the heritage and familial links of some of the game’s biggest stars.
“Latrell Mitchell and Jack Wighton are quite closely related through Jack’s mother and Latrell’s mother, the Gooloagongs from Wiradjuri country,” said NRL community and player Engagement manager and former cult hero George Rose.
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“On Bundjalung, there’s a lot of players from that area like Tyrone Roberts, James Roberts, Ryan James and Brian Kelly,
“Projects like this, the Indigenous players camp and having a support group for the Indigenous players is really good at keeping that connection and encouraging people to stay connected.”
“Knowing your personal history, your family history, is a big part of your own self-awareness.
“It makes you more comfortable with you, who you are and where you stand.
“It’s a history that goes back over 60,000 years. The land we walk on, there’s so much history that we still don’t know, we can learn more about it each day.”
To see an example of the strength that sense of identity can bring, one needs look no further than Mitchell.
A Biripai-Wiradjuri man, Mitchell has become a leader for the Indigenous community despite his youth and serves as an example of the resilience forged by a strong cultural identity.
“One of the biggest things about Latrell is I don’t think there’s many players, now or in the past, who would have been able to deal with the type of scrutiny he’s faced in the last twelve months or so,” Rose said.
“He’s copped it from absolutely everywhere and he’s shown resilience and leadership to handle receiving that crap and to be able to continue to perform at the elite level that he does and still be proud of who he is and not take a backward step and say he’s a proud Birpai-Wiradjuri man, who loves being able to connect with country when he can.
“He does all these positive things, even with all the crap that gets thrown at him.
“It shows being strong in yourself and knowing your own personal identity can really help you be a very resilient person.”
The Wiradjuri people of central NSW is the most heavily represented with 18 NRL and NRLW players tracing their heritage to that nation.
Rose said the importance of starting conversations and boosting awareness of heritage could not be overstated.
“It’s more education, it starts conversations, makes people wonder — little things that I think can help lead to change,” Rose said.
“It’s great the NRL is using their platform to try and get people to have that conversation.
“Where am I from? Where was I born? I was born in Wiradjuri country, or I was born in Gamilaroi country, or wherever it may be.
“Projects like this, the Indigenous players camp and having a support group for the Indigenous players is really good at keeping that connection and encouraging people to stay connected.”
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