The ACT Brumbies' indigenous round is more than a reconciliation gesture for Andy Muirhead.
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It's a chance to wear a warm-up jersey he helped design. A chance to pay tribute to the first indigenous Wallaby, Lloyd McDermott, and the rugby program he set up that helped Muirhead launch his career. And A chance continue his research into his own family heritage.
The Brumbies will pay their respects indigenous people before, during and after their game against the Pretoria Bulls at Canberra Stadium on Friday night.
The NRL and the AFL have competition-wide indigenous celebrations this weekend, but Australian rugby is still catching up in terms of paying respects to Aboriginal history.
The Brumbies launched a Reconciliation Action Plan last year and wear special jerseys in the warm up before every game as a mark of respect.
BRUMBIES NEWS
It's significant for Muirhead, who says if it hadn't been for the Lloyd McDermott rugby development team in his teen years he may not have ended up at the Brumbies.
McDermott died last month but his legacy lives in the program which gives indigenous juniors a pathway
"I met [McDermott] a couple of times ... and that was pretty cool given everything he's done," Muirhead said.
"Lloydies [rugby program] was pretty much my representative football when I was growing up. I had some really good mentors there as well who made sure I was going in the right direction. We're slowly moving in the right direction [in recognising indigenous Australians] in union."
Muirhead and Jahrome Brown visited Mount Stromlo high school on Tuesday to test their non-rugby skills in the traditional indigenous game, buroinjin.
The game is played by the Kabi Kabi people in southern Queensland, traditionally with a ball made of kangaroo skin. Four school teams will play the sport, which is a mix between European handball, cricket, Australian football, netball and soccer, at half-time in the Brumbies' clash against the Bulls.
The Brumbies will name their team on Wednesday, with David Pocock, Lachlan McCaffrey and Rob Valetini racing to be fit to make comebacks.
SUPER RUGBY ROUND 15
Friday: ACT Brumbies v Pretoria Bulls at Canberra Stadium, 7.45pm. Tickets available from Ticketek.
