Essendon eye Dreamtime clash

Richmond and Essendon will compete in the 20th Dreamtime at the G game on Saturday night.

Jade Gresham, an Essendon recruit and Yorta Yorta player, will play in his first Dreamtime match, an event that has had a special place in his heart since the tiny forward’s debut at the age of six.

“Few initial memories; I believe the first one I came to included a bit of Auskick in the middle, which was quite cool as a young fella. Gresham also mentioned the Long Walk, which he participated in one year”.

“It’s a special game for Indigenous people, it’s one of the rounds you circle at the start of the year and want to be in as a player and hopefully can do my family and friends proud this weekend.”

“This will be my first Dreamtime game as a player; I grew up going to these games as a kid, and I guess that’s one of the reasons you want to come to a club like Essendon, to play in these games and represent your culture and Indigenous people, so I’m looking forward to running out on Saturday night with the boys and putting on a good show.”

When asked about his role on Saturday night, Essendon icon Michael Long said, “just in the forward pocket” with a hint of a grin.

“It’s gone so soon. Obviously, the Long Walk has been going on for 20 years, and we pulled it forward last year to coincide with the vote. We understood it would be a difficult request from Australia, but we will continue our work and use football as a tool for peace and bringing people together,” Long added.

It’s what I’ve learned in the game, my enthusiasm and love for the sport, that allows me to use that platform to accomplish this.

“It’s quite a special one for us this year, to not only to celebrate what we’ve done in schools and education, it’s been an important part, football’s played an integral part in lifting that for us.”