Footy champ Darryl White to plead with league chief Gillon McLachlan to save AFL indigenous radio service

Triple premiership star Darryl White says the collapse of AFL indigenous radio will be a “sad day for football” and will make a personal plea to AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan to save the service.

Triple premiership star Darryl White is an NIRS commentator.

Triple premiership star Darryl White says the collapse of AFL indigenous radio will be a “sad day for football”.

White revealed he would be making a personal plea to AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan to reverse the league’s funding rejection.

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“I know Gill a little bit and I know that’s not him,” White said.

“Whether it’s people around him or the AFL in general saying, ‘Hey, hey — let’s fix up other areas’, but this a small gesture.

“After paying off all the bills the money that is left over is enormous in the AFL.

“A little bit of that could be thrown that way because it’s promoting the game we all love and getting it out to people who never, ever get it.

“Some of them struggle to get TV and there’s no phone coverage out there — so the radio station is pretty much it.”

Darryl White, in his Brisbane Lions heyday, wants the league to provide funding for the AFL indigenous radio service,

Tuesday’s Herald Sun revealed AFL Indigenous Broadcasting, which beams games into Australia’s most remote communities via the National Indigenous Radio Service, was on the brink of collapse after 20 seasons.

Repeated emails and phone calls from AFL Indigenous Broadcasting head Andrew Underwood to key AFL staff in recent months have gone unanswered.

White, a member of Brisbane’s legendary 2001, 2002 and 2003 premiership team and NIRS commentator, said it would be hypocrisy to celebrate Indigenous Round but allow AFL indigenous broadcasting to die.

AFL indigenous broadcasters Chris Johnson, Tony Armstrong, Daryl White, Josh Hill and Chris Egan.

“It is because everyone is doing their bit in Indigenous Round ... it creates hype and puts reconciliation and indigenous people back at the forefront of people’s minds for a week or two weeks ... but NIRS has Indigenous Round every week,” White said.

“All we want is a bit of backing so that we know it will be around for the next 10, 20 or 30 years. And as much as we need it, they need it.”

The Herald Sun also revealed that the AFL had arranged talks early last year between Craig Hutchison’s company Crocmedia and AFL Indigenous Broadcasting about entering into a partnership.

Crocmedia boss Craig Hutchison and AFL chief Gillon McLachlan in discussions at Southbank bar QT in December 2016. Picture: Instagram

AFL Indigenous Broadcasting made it clear the deal was not possible because the transmission of Crocmedia’s commercial content on a community radio service would be in breach of regulations.

AFL calls on NIRS reach more than 700,000 Australians across 200 city and regional radio stations in places including Brisbane, Sydney, Perth, Alice Springs, Cape York, the Kimberley, Far North Queensland, Darwin, Bendigo and Shepparton.