Indigenous stars back new event to leave lasting legacy

The NRL's leading Indigenous stars have declared the new Gadhu Gathering can surpass Magic Round as a marquee fixture on the sport's calendar. 

The new initiative will see four games played at Allianz Stadium during the NRL and NRLW Indigenous Round in a unique celebration of culture. 

The concept shares some similarities to Magic Round, where an entire round is held at Suncorp Stadium. 

That event has become one of the biggest parties in the sport, however Rabbitohs star Cody Walker said the Gadhu Gathering will have an impact well beyond the football field.

"It's a proud moment and I'm proud as an Aboriginal man to see the NRL Indigenous Round evolving every year," Walker said. "I look forward to [Indigenous Round] every year. 

"Since I've been in the NRL it's been evolving and getting better every year. To have a festival for three days with three different games and with teams that have their own individual Indigenous jersey to represent, it's pretty cool and amazing to be part of."

The word ‘gadhu’ refers to a large body of water such as the ocean in Dharawal, the overarching language spoken by the Aboriginal people belonging to Coastal Sydney. Gadhu Gathering symbolises the gathering or coming together of communities to celebrate a shared passion for rugby league and culture.

The Roosters will kick off the Gadhu Gathering when they take on Canterbury on Friday August 15 before the Rabbitohs play the Eels the following day. The Wests Tigers will conclude the event with an NRL-NRLW double-header. 

The women will play the Dragons before the men's side takes on the Sea Eagles. 

The three clubs combined to launch the initiative on Monday afternoon and Tigers chairman Barry O'Farrell said it was another example of the NRL's leadership in the Indigenous space. 

"The creation of the Gadhu Gathering is another demonstration of the NRL's leadership when it comes to recognising the contribution and celebrating the continued participation of Indigenous Australians in sport, in particular rugby league," O'Farrell said. 

"The Wests Tigers are delighted to participate and thank you to all those involved in the Gadhu Gathering for making it possible."

The NRL's Indigenous Round has grown considerably since the first edition in 2015

All 17 clubs now wear specially designed jerseys and this year's event has expanded to two weekends. The round has also been moved to the back end of the season to ensure both the NRL and NRLW can celebrate the event at the same time. 

A number of community events are also held throughout the week, with the focus on facilitating positive social change. 

Walker looks back with pride on how far the game has come since his debut in 2016 and is determined to ensure the sport continues to build on the foundation laid by past Indigenous greats.

"[It's a chance] to promote different conversations, some tough conversations that need to be had, but also for clubs to celebrate the wonderful things our people have done in the game," Walker said.

"It blows me away some of the things that some of the players that played back in the day [experienced] when they weren't accepted in local communities. That would have been quite tough. 

"Some of our people have been the best players in their position for a number of years. You think about some of the names that float around of legends that are Aboriginal people, Arthur Beetson, Greg Inglis, the list goes on. 

"It's celebrating those wonderful things that our people have done in the game over the years because each individual player has brought something different and something freakish to the game."