Cody Walker believes he is ready for State of Origin and would be willing to play the No.14 role for NSW, but the South Sydney five-eighth’s immediate focus is on representing the jersey designed by his uncle Joe for Saturday night's Indigenous Round match against Wests Tigers.
Walker, who is vying with Sydney Roosters five-eighth Luke Keary for the Blues No.6 jersey, grew up watching Joe play for the Tabulam Turtle Divers in the Group One Second Division competition, which the team won or were grand finalists for 19 consecutive years.
“He is a great man, he is very well respected in the Bundjalung Nation,” Walker said.
“I remember watching him play as a young kid, the Tabulam Turtle Divers versus Wardell Magpies was a huge rivalry.
“He was one of the most feared props running around. It was brutal, and it was just great to watch. They could generate a great crowd for local games in our area. He was very well respected in footy up there and he is a great community man. He has got a great talent for painting."
Joe Walker won a competition to design the Rabbitohs’ jersey for the 2017 Indigenous Round and he was again chosen for the honour this year.
The club’s six Indigenous players, including recently retired captain Greg Inglis, decided that the 2019 jersey should maintain the traditional red and green hoops worn by Souths since the game’s foundation in 2008.
The jersey features the handprints and totems of Walker (goanna), Inglis (praying mantis), Dane Gagai (shovel-nosed shark), Alex Johnston (crocodile), Kyle Turner (goanna) and Braidon Burns (emu).
2019 Indigenous Round jerseys
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Designed by Elaine Chambers-Hegarty, the Broncos’ Indigenous Round jersey features eye-catching artwork which represents growth and new beginnings as 13 players unite as one at the gathering place of the Broncos’ home ground. All of the club’s current Indigenous players are represented through the illustration of their animal totem symbolising their connection to Indigenous culture.
2019 Indigenous Round jerseys
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The theme and design of the Bulldogs’ Indigenous Round jersey is reconciliation, which is what Indigenous round is all about. Reconciliation promotes understanding, recognition and most importantly education. The jersey displays meeting places and tracks leading to each other and this represents what we are working towards as a community today - everyone being connected, working towards the same goal. The three hand prints represent the club’s Aboriginal players Adam Elliott, Chris Smith and Reimis Smith.
2019 Indigenous Round jerseys
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The Raiders’ Indigenous jersey is a celebration of diversity and reconciliation. The artwork uses hand-prints to illustrate cultural diversity within the Ngunnawal region. Various artistic styles are demonstrated throughout the artwork, a result of community collaboration. By involving the community and Indigenous students engaged in the NRL School-to-Work program, artist Lynnice created a free flowing design. The path to reconciliation is a collaborative, accepting and an ongoing journey. This work aims to demonstrate how learning, interaction and respect work to create a free-flowing and engaged community.
2019 Indigenous Round jerseys
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The meaning of the logo is about opportunity, relationships and respect. It’s about a world that has three hands and three lightning bolts. The hands represent respect for one another and life’s opportunities. The Storm bolts represent relationships and strong links to our community and cultural respect. The image represents power and determination to reach goals, to trust, to feel safe and fulfilled with positive connections. The logo in the middle represents the Melbourne Storm Rugby League Club, while the outer circles are the broader communities that Melbourne Storm are reaching through its various programs. The four colours represent the four seasons, representing diversity and change. The shields represent strength and resilience.
2019 Indigenous Round jerseys
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Manly are honouring Sea Eagles great Cliff Lyons to celebrate Indigenous Round. The grey circles represent each team that Cliff has played for, from his first team as a junior, right up to playing for Australia. The lizard is very significant to the design. Down the back sides of the lizard there are blue stripes (representing his Origin for NSW) and on those stripes there are black dots, five on one side and six on the other as a representation for how many goals and field goals he kicked in his career with Manly. The lizard's back legs display 80 dots for the tries he scored, while the front legs feature 120 dots, Cliff's Hall of Fame number.
2019 Indigenous Round jerseys
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The Knights’ Indigenous Round jersey was designed by past and present Knights players including Ashley Gordon, Owen Craigie, Timana Tahu and Connor Watson. Each player contributed a piece of their history to local Indigenous artist Elise Randell from non-for-profit agency Justiz, who painted the artwork that makes up the foundations of the jersey design. A backdrop of blue and green represents salt water and fresh water. The white raised dots are representative of family and community from their place of origin and local Aboriginal community ties. The top right represents Ashley Gordon, the bottom right represents Timana Tahu, the bottom left represents Owen Craigie and the top left represents Connor Watson.
2019 Indigenous Round jerseys
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The winning design by Beau Pennefather Motlop from Cairns is titled ‘same but different’. The Torres Strait head dress and Aboriginal shield represent courage. The two hands, one black, one white, represent integrity and honesty. They are also a representation of unity and equality. The Torres Strait drum and Aboriginal didgeridoo represent our commitment to keeping Indigenous culture alive through traditional dance and music, as well as sharing our culture. The circle dot patterns represent meeting places and the U-Shapes surrounding them represent people meeting in unity.
2019 Indigenous Round jerseys
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Designed by Parramatta players Josh Hoffman, Will Smith, Bevan French and Blake Ferguson, the jersey pays respect to the traditional owners of Parramatta and is a celebration of their rich heritage. The area of Parramatta was known by the Darug people as Burramatta - "Burra" meaning eel and "matta" meaning creek. The Eel in the background represents the ancestral spirit of the Parramatta jersey, and is a connection to the Aboriginal Ancestors who look over the land. The totem on the top left of the front of jersey represents Will Smith, the totem on the right sleeve represents Blake Ferguson, the totem on the left middle front of jersey represents Bevan French and the totem on the bottom right Josh Hoffman.
2019 Indigenous Round jerseys
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"Stronger as one" is the theme of the Gold Coast Titans'' 2019 Indigenous jersey. The design, based on artwork titled "Korowa tarig" by rising Newcastle artist Tyler Smith, was chosen as the winner of the Gold Coast Titans Indigenous jersey design competition. "Korowa tarig means 'the sea coast' in the traditional language of the Awabakal people," Smith explains. "The illustration shows a school of fish swimming together as they are stronger as one. This also represents the essential teamwork needed to be a successful football team and organisation."
2019 Indigenous Round jerseys
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The design of the 2019 Panthers Indigenous jersey is based on an artwork by Panthers Indigenous welfare officer Glen Liddiard. The art incorporates the Panthers colours and depicts the geography and people of the Darug nation - the home of the Panthers' community today. The jersey also features totems of the Wiradjuri, Guriwal and Biripi people, representing the club's Indigenous players past and present.
2019 Indigenous Round jerseys
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The unique design for the Roosters’ 2019 Indigenous Round jersey was donated by KARI and created by artist Danielle Mate Sullivan. The design was made in consultation with the Roosters’ Indigenous players and incorporates the players’ hand prints, as well as the handprints of their children. The jersey will be on display when the Roosters face the in-form Knights at McDonald Jones Stadium on Friday night.
2019 Indigenous Round jerseys
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Hailing from Bundjalung Nation and a Proud Wahlabul Man, Joe Walker has combined mastery, magic, creativity and culture to create a jersey that is inclusive and representative of the Rabbitohs’ six Indigenous players. Joe has designed a playing strip that incorporates the player's totems inside their own handprint. Among those featured are Kyle Turner (goanna), Braidon Burns )emu), Dane Gagai (shovelnose shark), Cody Walker (goanna), Alex Johnston (crocodile) and Greg Inglis (praying mantis). Beyond the totems, the jersey utilises lines which represent the players’ journey to the club.
2019 Indigenous Round jerseys
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The front of the jersey – designed by local artist Lani Balzan – includes a whale (Birri Birri), which symbolises the Dharawal nation, the land on which St George Illawarra play their home games. The four red dots above the Red V signify the club’s four Indigenous players - Josh Kerr, Jai Field, Jonus Pearson and Tristan Sailor. Local artists Keiran Campbell and Koori Minto designed the back of the jersey. Their creation highlights the special relationship and respect local aboriginals have with the sea, highlighting the significance of the sea creatures which have provided local Aboriginal People a food source for thousands of generations.
2019 Indigenous Round jerseys
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The jersey design pays respect to Māori - the indigenous people of New Zealand. The top half of the jersey represents mountains and waterways, while the triangle shapes symbolise mountains. The koru represents mist, clouds and swirling winds reaching up to the heavenly domain of Ranginui (the Sky Father). The waves break the shore below the mountains and rivers and lakes flow to the sea. The koru and kowhaiwhai represent growth, reaching upward toward the light, positivity, nurturing and protection. Also, they represent connection to the earthly domain of Papatuanuku (the Earth Mother). The design is placed on the front and back and represents the North Island and South Island. The colour of the jersey and the shades of grey represents the clouds.
2019 Indigenous Round jerseys
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The Indigenous jersey was designed by Aunty Deanna Schreiber. The blue on the jersey represents the waters of Cronulla, many campsites and the elders gathering. The animal tracks and totems - Goanna, Black Snake and Echidna - represent the Sharks’ Indigenous players Wade Graham, Will Kennedy, Andrew Fifita, Braydon Trindall and the family of Jayson Bukuya. The colour pink represents the many shells that were scattered on the beaches at Cronulla for thousands of years.
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The Wests Tigers’ 2019 Indigenous Jersey is inspired by the traditional lands on which the club is based upon - lands of the Wangal, Gadigal and Tharawal people. The design uses topographical lines to form patterns that link pathways and meeting places as a way of uniting cultures to strengthen knowledge and understanding. The impressive artwork was produced by Vicki Golding and Dennis Golding.
“It’s just a great representation of us as a community and us as a club,” Walker said.
“Everyone has got their hand-print on the jersey and we wanted the totem inside the hand-print.”
Gagai said Indigenous Round held special meaning for all players and he was proud that each of the NRL’s 16 clubs had their own specially designed jerseys.
“It is not a competition for which team has the best design, it is just about acknowledging the traditional owners of the land and the Indigenous players that have come before us, like big Artie Beetson and my favourite growing up as kid, Matty Bowen,” Gagai said.
“We get to keep the jerseys afterwards so it is a very special one for myself and all of the boys – not just the Indigenous boys, I know all of the non-Indigenous lads enjoy playing in this game and representing this jersey as well.”
Gagai is set to be named in the Queensland team next Monday and he has been involved in promotions for State of Origin with Rabbitohs and NSW hooker Damien Cook.
Walker and halfback Adam Reynolds are also in contention for the Blues, along with lock Cameron Murray, while second-rower Ethan Lowe could line-up for the Maroons.
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Soward's favourite Indigenous stars
“I do have confidence in the way I play and I feel like I am ready but I will never really know unless I get there,” Walker said.
If the selectors opt for Keary at five-eighth with either Reynolds or incumbent halfback Nathan Cleary, Walker said he would be able to play the bench utility role if Fittler wanted him to.
“I have played fullback, I have played five-eighth, obviously halfback and I could slot in at hooker so I could do that,” he said.
“It’s obviously a dream of mine but individual performances don’t get you into those sort of arenas, it is what you do for the team and if you do your job within the team to the best of your ability those sort of things look after themselves.”
National Rugby League respects and honours the Traditional Custodians of the land and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and future. We acknowledge the stories, traditions and living cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on the lands we meet, gather and play on.
