In the lead-up to the 2015 ‘Dreamtime at the ‘G’ clash, ‘Roar Vision’ caught up with one of Richmond’s finest-ever Indigenous players, Michael Mitchell, for his thoughts on a variety of topics . . .

Life after football
“I’m the Program Manager of the Statewide Aboriginal Health Service in the Perth metropolitan area.  I guess what we do, in a nutshell, is ensure that Aboriginal people’s needs are met in a culturally appropriate manner.

A key responsibility for league clubs
“For every club, their role when they draft someone, and get them involved in their club, is to prepare them for the day they’re leaving.  That day could be the next day, or it could be 300 days away, or 3000 days away.  But they have to prepare them to re-engage and connect back with normal, everyday life.  Footy’s great, but footy is only like a length of string.  For some blokes it’s longer, some it’s shorter, but then, with the rest of the life you have to live, footy things don’t really apply.

Thanks to the Tigers
“I am forever grateful to the Richmond Footy Club for what they did for me.  They gave me that opportunity.  Hopefully, I don’t get too carried away with it, but a lot of people other than Richmond fans, even lots of fans from other Victorian teams, they say, oh, you were good, and we used to go and watch you.  You may not have been playing for our team, but we enjoyed watching you play.  And, that kind of feedback, while I don’t get carried away with it, it’s reassuring that I was doing something right.  And, I guess, representing Aboriginal people in a very, very positive way.

Football’s importance to the Indigenous community
“What people don’t understand is that football is such an iconic part of everyday life for Aboriginal people . . . You have your immediate family, in Aboriginal community, we have an extended family, and part of my extended family is the Richmond Football Club, Claremont Football Club, and the other representative sides that I went away with . . .  So, as a young man, and even young women now that play, you are just part of a network of people that are happy to watch you play and support you, and are very, very proud of what you bring to the table.  It’s important to understand and know that.  While everyone can’t play footy, you can still motivate and inspire people to do other great things in community, because we need good doctors, lawyers, teachers, mechanics.

Family inspiration
“Certainly, my inspiration comes from my family.  My mum and dad always worked.  All our family worked and participated in things.  There was never the issue of black or white.  It was just about being yourself, being involved.  And, Dreamtime kind of does highlight that a bit.  If you really want to be something, it provides inspiration for that to happen, I think.  That’s the big, key factor . . .

His Tigerland Goal of the Century (v Sydney, Round 22, 1990)
“It was a long time ago.  I’m not too certain if I got a crumb or a handball, but I had a bounce and it kind of opened up.  Then, I think someone else ran in . . . I kept going and going and had a shot, and surprisingly it went through.”