Glen Ella on the true value of the First Nations and Pasifika match, turning the tide, and his favourite Indigenous player

Glen Ella is one of 15 Indigenous players to have represented the Wallabies. It’s a number he’s desperate to see change.

Glen Ella couldn’t be prouder of the several elite Indigenous players who will appear in this month’s historic First Nations and Pasifika side to play the Lions.

As one of only a few Indigenous men to play Test match rugby for Australia, he knows how much the occasion means.

But it can’t end there, says Ella, who is an assistant coach for the First Nations and Pasifika team, joining head coach Toutai Kefu and fellow assistants Tana Umaga and Sekope Kepu.

Indeed, he wants more Indigenous players representing Australia at the highest level, and hopes the July 22 match at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne ignites a discussion about encouraging more Indigenous kids to play rugby union.

Just 15 Indigenous players have represented the Wallabies at Test level, including Lloyd Walker, Jim Williams, Kurtley Beale and Glen and his brothers Mark and Gary.

Those numbers fall far behind the number of First Nations players in rugby league and Aussie Rules.

The Ella brothers – Glen, Gary and Mark – all played for the Wallabies. Picture: Supplied

“It’s a good opportunity for us to push our barrow, so to speak, and say that we might be able to do more of these games,” Ella told Code Sports of the First Nations and Pasifika team.

“I’ve been talking to a couple of our Aboriginal boys and they’re just so keen to play the game.

“We need more Aboriginal kids playing.

“If you look at the NRL or the AFL, they’ve got a percentage of Aboriginal kids running around, and a lot of them are probably the better players in the competition.

“There’s a lot of really good Aboriginal kids out there, they just need the opportunity.”

Ella has been a leading voice on Indigenous participation in union for years, and as with anything, he says it comes down to money.

There’s also a constant battle for talent with rival codes.

“You’ve gotta have the funds to be able to do it, and we understand that,” he said. “You look at the rugby league guys, and they’re all putting kids into private schools and paying their fees.

Glen Ella moved in to coaching once his playing career ended. Picture: Supplied

“It’s frustrating, because every time we get a couple of good rugby players, they want to take them off our hands.

“That used to happen in the old days too, but we just need to spend a little bit more money to promote the game.

“And not just in the cities, but in regional areas as well. There’s a lot of kids out there that just want to express themselves.

“After this Lions Tour we’ve got the Rugby World Cup on our doorstep, then hopefully we can put in some really good processes.

“We just need more people going hard.”

Ella would love nothing more than to see a First Nations representative side play regular matches – not unlike the Maori All Blacks, who narrowly lost to Scotland last weekend.

But, almost as if to emphasise his point about increasing the number of Indigenous players in the game, he says it’s just not realistic right now.

“It’s just a pity that we haven’t got the number of quality Aboriginal players playing,” he said. “We’ve got some good backs, obviously, but there’s not a whole lot of forwards.

“We’ll have four or five Aboriginal guys in this game, which is great, but if we could push that number up to seven or eight, that would be even better.

Ella is hopeful Kurtley Beale will be fit to play after pulling out of the Western Force's game against the Lions. Picture: Getty Images

Brumbies back Andy Muirhead wearing the custom made First Nations and Pasifika jersey. Picture: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

“I hope this game does (lead to bigger and better things). We’ve gotta make sure we perform really well on the day so that people say, ‘Gee this is a really good concept’.

“It’s up to us to put our best foot forward and prove we’re good enough.”

One man who can have a huge impact on the success of the game is Kurtley Beale, who was one of the first players named in the squad alongside Rob Leota, Seru Uru., Charlie Gamble and Andy Muirhead.

The proud Darug and Kamilaroi man was forced out of the Western Force’s tour match against the Lions, but is aiming to be back for July 22.

At 36, it could be Beale’s professional rugby union swan song, but Ella says we shouldn’t count him out too quickly.

“I’ve spoken to him, and he’s certainly keen on playing, and we need him as well,” he said. “It could be his last game, but if he plays really well, he could be back in with the Wallabies.

Ella rates Andrew Walker as one of the best players he’s ever seen. Picture: Sean Garnsworthy/ALLSPORT

“You never know. We just need to make sure we give him a good platform and maybe he could play his way back into it.”

Ella has spent decades coaching all over the world, and has seen and worked with some of the best players on the planet.

Beale is right up there with the elite, but Ella just laughs when asked to name the best Indigenous player he’s ever seen.

There’s no question about it.

“You can’t go too far past Andrew Walker,” he said. “He was a freak. Just a freak.

“He could do anything.

“Then you’ve got Lloydy Walker and Jimmy Williams who was a big back rower. They were probably the best players I’ve seen other than my brothers, but Kurtley is in that mould as well.

“The talent is out there, but we just need to be more active in trying to create some pathways.”