Dreamtime at the 'G was first held in 2005, with the aim being to recognise the contribution of all Indigenous players to the AFL. It was held during NAIDOC Week. From 2006, the Yiooken Award has been awarded to the player judged best on ground in the match. In 2007, following the success of the Dreamtime at the 'G match in 2005 and 2006, the AFL nominated a specific Indigenous Round which has become an annual event in which the Dreamtime at the 'G match takes centre stage. The success of the annual match, which now usually features crowds in excess of 80,000, led to the two clubs agreeing to cement the match's official status for an additional decade in May 2016. From 2016, the Indigenous Round was named after Sir Doug Nicholls, the only AFL player to have been knighted and serve as a state governor. Each year, each player in all 18 clubs wears a specially-commissioned artwork by an Indigenous artist on their guernsey. In 2019, former Essendon player Michael Long was honoured at this round. In 2020, the match will be played at TIO Stadium in Darwin, as it was not possible for the match to be played in Melbourne due to the city being locked down during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Notable matches
Round 6, 2006 saw Richmond escape with a two-point victory over Essendon after Jarrad Oakley-Nicholls scored the match winning behind with minutes remaining in the final quarter.
Round 9, 2007: With just under five minutes remaining, Richmond had a 12-point lead, which was pulled back by Essendon to level the match at 84-apiece – Essendon 11.18.). Tigers full-forward Matthew Richardson thought he had kicked the match winning goal but it was pulled back, and a fifty-metre penalty was awarded, after Richardson had pushed his opponent in the back prior to kicking the goal. Essendon kicked the last 1.2. of the match to win the game by eight points and deny Richmond what would have been their first win of the 2007 season.
The match is associated with the pre-game commemoration events organised by The Long Walk, a charity inspired by Indigenous former Essendon player Michael Long, who walked halfway from Melbourne to Canberra in 2004 to get the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people back on the national agenda. On the day of the Dreamtime game, The Long Walk holds a community celebration featuring entertainment and activities as well as community organisation information stalls. Prior to the Dreamtime match, Long and several thousand other participants walk from Federation Square to the Melbourne Cricket Ground to promote. In 2013, over 15,000 participants walked to the MCG. The walk has grown in stature and size, and in 2016 was attended by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and the Leader of the Opposition, Bill Shorten.
Curtain Raiser
A curtain-raiser match is usually held between two Indigenous football teams from around Australia and its territories.
Pre-match ceremony
Each year the game is preceded by an extravagant indigenous-based music and entertainment show. Performers in 2008 included Paul Kelly and Kev Carmody.
In 2005 Richmond and Essendon first competed for the Kevin Sheedy Cup. The cup has continued to be awarded to the winner of each Dreamtime at the 'G game. Sheedy has a strong connection with both Essendon and Richmond, having played 251 games for Richmond including their 1969, 1973 and 1974 premiership teams. He won the 1976 best & fairest award, captained the club in 1978, was named on their Team of the Century at left back-pocket and inducted into the Richmond Hall of Fame in 2002. He retired in 1979. He then went on to coach Essendon from 1981 to 2007, amassing 635 games as coach and led the club to premierships in 1984, 1985, 1993 & 2000. He was named as coach of the Essendon Team of the Century. He was a selector for the Indigenous Team of the Century and has championed indigenous football, reconciliation, and education.
