Indigenous All Stars (rugby league)
The Indigenous Australian rugby league team (also known as the Indigenous All Stars[1] or Indigenous Dreamtime[2] team) is a rugby league football team that represents Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders. The team was first formed in 1973 and currently plays in an annual All Stars Match against a National Rugby League NRL All Stars team.
Team information | ||||||
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Governing body | Australian Rugby League Commission | |||||
Head coach | Laurie Daley | |||||
Captain | Joel Thompson | |||||
Most caps | Joel Thompson (7) | |||||
Top try-scorer | Ben Barba (4) | |||||
Top point-scorer | Johnathan Thurston (38) | |||||
Team results | ||||||
First international | ||||||
Indigenous Beat Papua New Guinea | ||||||
Biggest win | ||||||
Indigenous All Stars 32-6 NRL All Stars | ||||||
Biggest defeat | ||||||
Indigenous All Stars 12-28 NRL All Stars | ||||||
World Cup | ||||||
Appearances | 2008 Opening Ceremony Vs New Zealand Maori |
History
An Aboriginal v White Australian rugby league game was held in Barcaldine in Western Queensland in 1963. These 'Blacks v Whites' games continued annually until 1984.[3]
The first Australian Aboriginal rugby league team was assembled in 1973 The Aboriginal team managed to win seven of its nine matches in just 10 days, The team consisted of 34 players – 19 from NSW, 13 from Queensland and two from the Northern Territory. They went on to win games against Kiwi premiers Wellington Petone, the only all-Maori team & Auckland club & Te Atatu, which the Aboriginal side won 17–13.[4]
The side competed in the Pacific Cup in 1990, 1992 and 1994. During this period the team contained New South Wales Rugby League first grade players such as Ricky Walford, Graham Lyons, Ron Gibbs, Darrell Trindall, Paul Davis, Wayne Alberts, George Longbottom and Will Robinson.
In the post-1999 NRL season an Aboriginal side managed by Arthur Beetson defeated the Papua New Guinea Kumuls and the future rugby league Immortal was pushing for an Australia Day match against the Australian national team.[5]
In 2008 World Cup curtain raiser to the Australia vs. New Zealand match included an Indigenous Australian squad playing against New Zealand Māori which featured several prominent NRL players and rising stars, including Chris Sandow, Wairangi Koopu, Preston Campbell, Sam Thaiday, Shaun Kenny-Dowall and Carl Webb.
Preston Campbell, a highly respected aboriginal rugby league player, was a driving force behind the setup, in 2010, of a curtain raising match between the Indigenous All Stars, and the NRL All Stars. The Indigenous All Stars played what seems likely become an annual match against the National Rugby League All Stars on 13 February 2010.[6] The squad was chosen in part by public vote. Aboriginal NRL player Sid Domic's artistic ability led him to be selected from a field of six artists to design the Indigenous side's jersey, as well as Johnathan Thurston's and Jamie Soward's custom headgear, for the annual All Stars matches.[7]
2019 will see a new format of the Australian Indigenous All-Stars play the New Zealand Māori at AAMI Park in Melbourne on 15 February. It will be part of an All-Stars double header with the women's teams to play the curtain-raiser Māori and indigenous teams to the men's game. With no All-Stars game in 2017 due to the World Cup, the NRL will be hoping the inclusion of the New Zealand Māori side will spark popularity in the fixture. With three Indigenous players also eligible for both teams Dane Gagai, Reimis Smith, Josh Hoffman and Javid Bowen.[8]
Teams
First Australian Aboriginal Rugby League Team 1973 Tour
- William Widders
- Tom Briggs
- Marshall Brown
- Kenneth Brown
- Max Edwards
- Wally Tallis
- Phil Hall
- John Brady
- Carl Wyles
1990-92-1994 Australian Aboriginies Pacific Cup Team
- Ricky Walford
- Paul Davis
- George Longbottom
- Will Robinson
- Wayne Alberts
- Darrell Trindall
- Ron Gibbs
- Graham Lyons
- Jason Wilson (Walgett Rugby League)
2008 Indigenous Team of the Century (1908–2007)
Team of the Century | Coaching staff | ||||||||
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2008 Indigenous Dreamtime
2008 squad | Coaching staff | ||||||||
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2010 Indigenous All Stars
2010 squad | Did not play | Coaching staff | |||||||
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2011 Indigenous All Stars
2011 squad | Did not play | Coaching staff | |||||||
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2012 Indigenous All Stars
2012 squad | Coaching staff | ||||||||
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2013 Indigenous All Stars
2013 squad | Coaching staff | ||||||||
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2014 Festival of Indigenous Rugby League
The NRL launched a Festival of Indigenous Rugby League program to take the place of the prestigious pre-season Rugby League All Stars game following every World Cup year. The 2014 Festival of Indigenous Rugby League featured a trial match between the Knights and a non-elite Indigenous team, drawn from the immensely popular NSW Koori Rugby League Knockout and Murri Carnivals in Queensland, as well as the NRL Indigenous Player Cultural Camp, Murri vs Koori women's and Under 16s representative games, a Murri v Koori match, a jobs expo and community visits.
2014 squad | Coaching staff | ||||||||
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2015 Indigenous All Stars
2015 squad | Did not play | Coaching staff | |||||||
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2016 Indigenous All Stars
2016 squad | Did not play | Coaching staff | |||||||
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2017 Indigenous All Stars
2017 squad | Did not play | Coaching staff | |||||||
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2019 Indigenous All Stars
2019 squad | Did not play | Coaching staff | |||||||
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Indigenous Team of the Decade (2010–2019)
Team of the Decade | Coaching staff | ||||||||
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2020 Indigenous All Stars
2020 squad | Did not play | Coaching staff | |||||||
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Results
26 October 2008 |
Indigenous Dreamtime | 34 – 26 | New Zealand Maori |
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Tries Wesser 2 Jensen 2 Carney 1 Gordon 1 Goals Soward 5/6 |
Tries 1 McKendry 1 Kenny-Dowall 1 Rapana 1 Stanley 1 Taumata Goals 2/4 Goodwin 1/1 Stanley |
13 February 2010 8:00pm (AEST) |
Indigenous All Stars | 16 – 12 | NRL All Stars |
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Tries: Wendell Sailor (3') 1 Ben Jones (32') 1 Jamie Soward (74') 1 Goals: Johnathan Thurston 2/2 (34', 76') Field Goals: Scott Prince 0/1 |
1st: 4 - 0 2nd: 6 - 0 3rd: 0 - 8 4th: 6 - 4 |
Tries: Josh Morris (54') 1 Benji Marshall (59') 1 Michael Jennings (61') 1 |
Skilled Park Gold Coast, Queensland Attendance: 26,687 Preston Campbell Medal: Johnathan Thurston Referee: Shayne Hayne, Ashley Klein, Gavin Badger, Luke Phillips |
12 February 2011 8:00pm (AEST) |
NRL All Stars | 28 – 12 | Indigenous All Stars |
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Tries: Brett Morris (3') 1 Paul Gallen (24') 1 Shaun Kenny-Dowall (32') 1 Akuila Uate (35') 1 Josh Dugan (72') 1 Goals: Benji Marshall 2/2 (33', 36') Cameron Smith 1/2 (25') Kurt Gidley 1/1 (73') |
1st: 4 - 0 2nd: 18 - 6 3rd: 0 - 6 4th: 6 - 0 |
Tries: Ben Barba (40') 1 Nathan Merritt (59') 1 Goals: Johnathan Thurston 1/1 (40') Scott Prince 1/1 (60') |
Skilled Park Gold Coast, Queensland Attendance: 25,843 Preston Campbell Medal: Josh Dugan Referee: Shayne Hayne, Ben Cummins, Gavin Badger, Henry Perenara |
4 February 2012, 7:15pm (AEDT) |
NRL All Stars | 36 – 28 | Indigenous All Stars |
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Tries Pritchard (26') 1 Lewis (35') 1 Bailey (46') 1 Dugan (51') 1 Reed (65') 1 Vatuvei (74') 1 Goals Marshall 6/6 (31', 37', 47', 51', 66', 75') |
Tries 2 (20', 39') Merritt 1 (6') Yow Yeh 1 (29') Bowen 1 (69') Inglis Goals 3/4 Thurston (8', 21', 30') 1 (71') Sandow |
Skilled Park, Robina Referee: Jason Robinson, Ashley Klein, Gerard Sutton, Phil Haines Man of the Match: Nathan Merritt (Preston Campbell Medal) |
9 February 2013, 7:45pm(AEDT) |
Indigenous All Stars | 32 – 6 | NRL All Stars |
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Tries Barba 3 (10', 21', 31') Robinson 3 (46', 71', 78') Goals Thurston 3/4 Prince 1/1 |
Tries 1 (14') Hayne Goals 1/1 Reynolds |
8 February 2014, 7pm (AEDT) |
Newcastle Knights | 52 – 12 | First Nation Goannas |
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Tries Jake Mamo 3 Joseph Tapine 2 Alex McKinnon 1 Korbin Sims 1 Sione Mata’utia 1 Josh Mantellato 1 Matt Minto 1 Goals Josh Mantellato 6/10 |
Tries 1 Davin Crampton 1 Rod Jensen Goals 2/2 Adrian Davis |
13 February 2015 8:00pm (AEDT) |
Indigenous All Stars | 20 – 6 | NRL All Stars |
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Tries: Inglis (51') 1 Chambers (64') 1 Grevsmuhl (78') 1 Goals: Thurston 4/4 (53', 66', 75' pen, 79') |
[13] | Tries: Walker (29') 1 Goals: Croker 1/1 (30') |
13 February 2016 7.05pm (AEST) |
Indigenous All Stars | 8 – 12 | World All Stars |
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Tries: Latu (40') 1 Gagai (63') 1 Goals: |
Tries: Hurrell (32') 1 Radradra (42') 1 |
Suncorp Stadium Attendance: 37, 399 Preston Campbell Medal: James Graham Referee: Matt Cecchin & Allan Shortall |
10 February 2017 8:15pm AEDT |
Indigenous All Stars | 34 – 8 | World All Stars |
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Tries: Bird (4') 1 Ferguson (7') 1 Taylor (13') 1 Thurston (41') 1 Gagai (59') 1 Latu (70') 1 Goals: Thurston 4/5 (4', 14', 43', 60') Sezer 1/1 (72') |
[14] | Tries: Mead (36') 1 Macdonald (39') 1 Goals: Croker 0/2 |
15 February 2019 8:20pm (AEDT) |
Indigenous All Stars | 34 – 14 | Māori All Stars |
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Tries: Josh Addo-Carr (11', 14') 2 Bevan French (33') 1 Blake Ferguson (39') 1 David Fifita (45') 1 Cody Walker (64') 1 Josh Kerr (73') 1 Goals: Latrell Mitchell 3/7 (15', 40', 75') Field Goals: Tyrone Roberts 0/1 |
[15] | Tries: Dane Gagai (3', 28') 2 Esan Marsters (51') 1 Goals: Jordan Kahu 1/2 (4') Esan Marsters 0/1 |
AAMI Park Attendance: 18,802 Preston Campbell Medal: Tyrone Roberts Referee: Grant Atkins, Gavin Badger |
22 February 2020 7:20pm (AEST) |
Māori All Stars | 30 – 16 | Indigenous All Stars |
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Tries: Brandon Smith (70', 75') 2 Dallin Watene-Zelezniak (5') 1 Kodi Nikorima (27') 1 Dylan Walker (80') 1 Goals: Kalyn Ponga 4/4 (6', 29', 71', 75') Adam Blair 1/1 (80') Sin Bin: Jahrome Hughes (23') 1 |
[16] 1st: 6 - 6 2nd: 6 - 4 3rd: 0 - 6 4th: 18 - 0 |
Tries: Joshua Curran (18') 1 Blake Ferguson (40') 1 James Roberts (57') 1 Goals: Tyrone Roberts 1/2 (20') Blake Ferguson 1/1 (58') |
Cbus Super Stadium Attendance: 23,599 Preston Campbell Medal: Brandon Smith Referee: Gerard Sutton, Peter Gough |
References
- AAP (16 October 2009). "Indigenous All Stars by name, and nature". ABC. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
- Malone, Paul (10 October 2008). "Sam Thaiday in Indigenous Dreamtime team for Rugby League World Cup Article f". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
- AAP (3 November 2007). "We need to follow footprints of Barcaldine". The Age. Australia: Fairfax Media.
- AAP (18 February 1973). "Aboriginal team wins". The Sydney Morning Herald. Australia: Fairfax Media. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
- Hanna, Jim (16 October 1999). "Artie wants first pick, then a Test against Fittler and Co". AAP Sports News. Australia: The Gale Group, Inc. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
- Indigenous All Stars team launched NRL.com, 16 October 2009
- Jodie van de Wetering and Kallee Buchanan (10 February 2010). "All Stars' jerseys emblazoned with Domic's designs". ABC News. Australia: ABC. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
- Lucas, Andrew (28 August 2018). "NRL announce new All-Stars concept to kick-off 2019 NRL season". Andrew Lucas. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
- Greg Inglis was originally selected but withdrew due to injury (replaced by Beau Champion)
- Thurston attained captaincy after Campbell withdrew to injury
- Sam Thaiday was originally selected but withdrew due to injury (replaced by Joel Moon)
- Preston Campbell was originally selected but withdrew due to injury (replaced by Anthony Mitchell)
- Indigenous All Stars leave it late nrl.com, 13 February 2015
- "Thurston inspires Indigenous All Stars to big win". NRL.com. 10 February 2017. Archived from the original on 11 February 2017. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
- "Addo-Carr stars as Indigenous All Stars beat Māori All Stars". NRL.com. 15 February 2019.
- Balym, Todd (22 February 2020). "Smith stars as Māori side clinches first All Stars win". NRL.com. Archived from the original on 23 February 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2020.