Focus on Indigenous round as Giants brace for Lions

By JOANNA GUELAS

Malcolm Lynch remembers the loneliness of being an Indigenous player in the AFL.

It’s that loneliness that drives him as an Indigenous player development manager at GWS.

Lynch will be on the sidelines at Engie Stadium as the Giants aim to mark Sir Doug Nicholls Round with a win over reigning premiers Brisbane on Sunday.

GWS (4-6) are licking their wounds after a shock loss to West Coast, with the Lions (6-4) also aiming to bounce back after losing at home to Geelong.

Lynch says his work with players like star tagger Toby Bedford, pictured above, and up-and-comer Harry Rowston is aided by his experience at the Western Bulldogs and North Melbourne.

A former Western Bulldogs and North Melbourne player, Lynch was drafted to the AFL system in 2007.

“Early 2000s, if you didn’t fit the mould of that particular club or culture, you’re just left to your own devices,” Lynch told AAP.

“There was no support, so that can be a very lonely place.

“That sort of made me stronger in a way, like, ‘Far out, I don’t want that to happen again’.

“I’ve gone full circle now. I never thought 20 years later, I’d be at an AFL club in a role that I needed when I was younger.”

Lynch believes the role is critical in the AFL’s mission to increase Indigenous participation rates – a campaign which has been the focal point of this year’s Sir Doug Nicholls Round.

Former Sydney player James Bell played 28 games for the Swans.

There are 62 First Nations players on AFL club lists in 2026 – a drop from the record 87 in 2020.

The AFL this year launched a First Nations Impact Fund, investing about $300,000 annually in partnership with clubs.

The league mandated in 2021 the appointment of Indigenous player development managers at all 18 clubs.

“In previous years, cultural aspects – it almost gets dismissed, right?” Lynch said.

“‘Oh, no, they don’t want to do it, or they don’t care about it’.

“I hate that, because every player wants to play AFL football – they wouldn’t have put all these years in for nothing.

“That’s just a crazy outlook. I take this role very seriously, because you can see the magic that happens when they get that right support.”

For former Sydney player James Bell, having cultural support has made a massive difference after feeling the 2021 mandate was “too little, too late”.

Sir Doug Nicholls Round ends this weekend

Bell, who played 28 games for the Swans from 2018 to 2022, will line up for the Giants in Sunday’s VFL curtain-raiser.

“When you come into an environment where there was no one that I could relate to, you just feel like you’re just talking to a brick wall,” Bell said.

“It’s such a relief having someone like Mal.

“It goes past footy and to actual genuine care because this is a hard industry to survive in.

“I wish I had it (an Indigenous support officer) earlier.”

Sunday’s game will help wrap up the two-week Sir Doug Nicholls Round, but Lynch stressed the importance of remaining curious.

“You’ve got to understand your country’s history before anything, before you can jump into everything else,” Lynch said.

Fit-again defender Jack Buckley headlines the Giants’ three changes, joined by forward Callum Brown and fellow backman Conor Stone.

Brisbane premiership player Ty Gallop returns alongside fringe forward Will McLachlan for the visitors.