GFNL 2024: Geelong West player Ethan Liddle shares the story behind the Indigenous guernsey he designed

Ethan Liddle designed his club’s Indigenous guernsey himself, and it has significant meaning. The Alice Springs export explains the design and gives an in-depth insight into his culture.

It was in 2022 when Geelong West player Ethan Liddle decided he needed to get to work.

Coming up against North Shore in round nine that season, the proud Eastern Arrernte and Alyawarre man from Alice Springs looked across the field pre-game and saw the Seagulls’ indigenous strip.

WATCH LIDDLE’S VIDEO IN THE PLAYER ABOVE

Something that was commonplace back home in the Central Australia Football League and Northern Territory Football League where he had played, Liddle hadn’t seen many floating around in the Geelong competition.

“It didn’t make me jealous, but it just inspired me to be like, you know, ‘I think Geelong West needs to get an indigenous guernsey’,” Liddle said.

Liddle got his pens, paper and textas out and began brainstorming. And in 2023, the Giants’ Indigenous jumper was born.

The extensive design, which has been updated this year, will be worn by the Giants in AFL Barwon Indigenous Round against North Shore this weekend.

It tells the story of Liddle’s journey, having made the move in 2016 to Wadawurrung Country, Geelong, where he now mentors Indigenous youths at Gordon TAFE.

Ethan Liddle with the jumper he designed ahead of AFL Barwon Indigenous round. Picture: Brad Fleet

The front of the Guernsey symbolises Geelong West Football Netball Club – everything from the coaches, loyal supporters and the footprints of past players guiding the way for current Giants to follow.

On the back, Liddle’s design details the six First Nations Countries he is intrinsically connected with through himself and his family.

“I wanted to get some symbols and get them to represent our club, but not only our club, also my journey and my personal journey from back home as well,” Liddle said.

“There are people that like the design, but most importantly the story’s even more special.

“I remember last year, even now, when I see these guys warming up and training in my indigenous design it makes me feel very proud – and I know it makes my family feel proud.”

Liddle isn’t just sharing his culture to Geelong West, he is also striving to let the club experience it for themselves in the flesh.

Giants teammates Tylar Watts, Emmanuel Ajang and Riley Moore and coaches Josh Montano and Rick Wilde got the opportunity to head up north to Mpartnwe Alice Springs last year.

Teammates who didn’t go were jealous, but Liddle has something bigger in the works.

“We all ended up going up there and it was a very special moment for them to see where I’m from, and do all the cultural things up there,” Liddle said.

“Cooking kangaroo tail, like teaching them how to cook kangaroo tail, you know, the traditional way was a good thing too. So my goal is to hopefully get everyone else from Geelong West to go up there and hopefully do a camp or whatever.

“I want to get a slide show going and show all the boys and just be like, ‘this is where I’m from. I’d love to have you all up there’.”

One of those envious Giants teammates was Titik Nyak.

Proud of his own South Sudanese culture, Nyak feels blessed to play alongside Liddle and call him his friend.

Ethan Liddle with teammate Titit Nyak. Picture: Brad Fleet

“It’s great to have him around the club, being one of my best mates here at the club and it is amazing. I feel privileged this weekend to be able to walk out there and play with his jersey and that represents us as the Giants and also represents his home country as well,” Nyak said.

“It is amazing just to have a bloke like Ethan around the club to be inspired by his culture and what he has done and just being down here as well. Not having much family at the start and being able to build relationships with all us guys, and to be able to have him down here has been amazing.”

Unfortunately Darrnell Edwards, a First Nations player at the Giants, injured his shoulder last weekend and will be unable to run out in Liddle’s guernsey.

“When I first saw him the first question I asked was like, ‘Where you from brother? ‘Who’s your tribe?’ And yeah, vice versa, I told him my tribe,” Liddle said.

“When you see other blackfellas around Geelong, the first question we often ask each other is like, ‘Where are you from?’ It’s good because we’re always there for each other which is good, and same with the other multicultural guys too.”

Liddle loves going back up north to see his family in the Northern Territory, including his father’s side in Ltyentye Apurte, Santa Teresa, 80 kilometres southeast of Alice Springs, and his mother’s side in Alyawarre, Atitjere (around 200km north east of Alice Springs).

“All the elders, every time they see me they’ll be like, ‘what’s your name? What’s my last name?’ And I’ll tell him my last name, and then they’ll know who I’m connected with,” Liddle said.

“And when they find out who I’m connected with, they’ll be like, ‘All these your nannas over here, come and meet them. This is your little cousin’.

“It’s a beautiful thing and same as Alyawarre. They’ll be like, ‘who’s your connection to Country here?’ And I’ll be like, ‘My grandmother’, and they’ll do the same thing.”

They encourage him to come back as much as he can to learn about his culture and his people.

And when he can’t be there, a special memento and his footy family 2200km away helps ease his homesickness.

“I’ve got three jars of red dirt from back home,” Liddle explained.

“Every time I’m feeling homesick or whatever, I’ll make sure that I’ll look at some red dirt and yeah, it makes me feel connected to home.

“I made the move down to Geelong myself and created a relationship with the boys down at Geelong West and I see them as my family down here. I do get homesick but when you have a good community like them, it helps you stick it out and feel more comfortable.”

Originally published as GFNL 2024: Geelong West player Ethan Liddle shares the story behind the Indigenous guernsey he designed