ONE OF the many highlights of Sir Doug Nicholls Round is the stunning, specially designed jumpers.
In 2024 we have some new designs that tell a fascinating story. Do you have a favourite? Cast your vote at the bottom of the page.
Rounds 10 and 11 of the 2024 Toyota AFL Premiership Season is Sir Doug Nicholls Round, which celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and its contribution to our game.
Forward Izak Rankine worked alongside his cousin, artist Harley Hall, to craft the Crows' guernsey. The overarching theme of the guernsey is connection and the artwork includes the names of all of Adelaide's past and present Indigenous players, celebrating their contributions to the club, the game, and the wider community. The guernsey design depicts the 23-year-old Rankine coming home to South Australia last year, driven by his boyhood dream to play for the Crows and a desire to be closer to his family.
CROWS' JUMPER Learn more about it here
Brisbane's guernsey has been designed with the help of Lardil woman and Mornington Island artist Renee Wilson, who is a relative of Lions forward Charlie Cameron. The theme of the jumper is born from the Lardil phrase, 'Merri Dilangka’ and is broken down into three key elements, the past, the present and we move forward together. The inside of the neckline includes the six totems of the Lions' current indigenous players - Charlie Cameron, Callum Ah Chee, Keidean Coleman, Ally Anderson, Courtney Hodder and Dakota Davidson.
LIONS' JUMPER Learn more about it here
Carlton's 2024 Indigenous guernsey was designed by Wiradjuri man of the Narrandera Murrumbidgee River People Stewart James, who is also the cousin of defender Zac Williams. The artwork name Ngiyanhi [nee-ya-nee], comes from a Wiradjuri word meaning 'we all'. The name encompasses the deep connection and sense of belonging and purpose that 'we all', as Carlton family, feel.
BLUES' JUMPER Learn more about it here
The Pies' guernsey was designed by Uncle Trevor Davis, father of former Collingwood player and the club's cultural development manager Leon Davis. The inspiration for the design stems from a piece of art by Uncle Trevor called 'Healing'. Uncle Trevor, who is a proud Wadjuk, Ballardong, Wilman, Wongi and Noongar man, created the painting that depicts a healing process which the club has embarked on over the past few years. The use of rain in the artwork is to represent the club being cleansed.
MAGPIES' JUMPER Learn more about it here
The Bombers will wear a guernsey paying homage to the rich traditions of the Tiwi people. Designed by Tiwi artist Russellina Puruntatameri, the guersney is intricately crafted with symbolic elements, embodying the rich culture of the Tiwi community. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the iconic Dreamtime match between the Bombers and Richmond.
BOMBERS' JUMPER Learn more about it here
Walyalup's 2024 Indigenous Jumper is designed by Daniel McHenry in collaboration with club legend Michael Johnson. The colours on the design (red, green, purple and white) are all callbacks to the first Fremantle jumper Johnson wore, but also represent Daniel and Michael's family origins. The green represents Ballardong country (the towns of Quairading and Badjaling) from which Johnson and McHenry's Nan hails from. The red represents Kija country (Halls Creek), the red dirt country that Johnson and McHenry's Pop hails from.
DOCKERS' JUMPER Learn more about it here
Geelong's guernsey, designed by Keerray Woorroong and Yorta Yorta woman Sherry Johnstone, speaks to the importance of looking after our environment and celebrating the unique elements of the Australian landscape that First Nations people have called home for more than 60,000 years. The guernsey details several features of the Australian landscape, namely Sea Country, Flat Country, Stoney Country and Hilly Country, as well as highlighting waterways, which represent journeys and time, and footprints representing the First Nations peoples.
CATS' JUMPER Learn more about it here
The Suns have two guernseys for this year, the first designed by Larrakia artist Trent Lee, which will be worn in the club's two matches in Darwin in rounds nine and 10. The other, designed by Yugambeh and Bundjalung artists Christine Slabb and Kyle Slabb, will be worn in round 11 against Carlton at Marvel Stadium. It's the first time the Suns will have a unified Indigenous design with the club’s AFLW squad to also wear the jumper during the 2024 AFLW season.
SUNS' JUMPERS Learn more about them here
Greater Western Sydney's jumper is called Maaluga Ngarriylanha, meaning 'sitting as one', and tells a story of the unity and leadership the Giants take in reconciliation and moving forward as one. It was designed by proud Gomeroi man Kayleb Waters, a 25-year-old storyteller from the Aboriginal community of Walhallow. The design features an artistic kangaroo/bandaar inside the trademark 'G' on the front of the jumper, while the circular shapes and linework displayed on the jumper represent all of mother earth's wisdom and knowledge and connection to country. The orange circles represent people gathering and sitting as one, and the tracks and grids symbolise the path the Giants are taking with local communities to build connections and relationships.
GIANTS' JUMPER Learn more about it here
Hawthorn great Chance Bateman is the inspiration behind the Hawks' guernsey, which has been designed by Whadjuk, Ballardong and Eastern Arrernte artist Jade Dolman. The overall design tells the story of Bateman's journey in representing the Hawks, but also pays homage to those who have come before him and made a mark on the club. A Hawk represents the common ground of the club and is in the centre of the guernsey. Surrounding the Hawk are various-sized rings which represent the states where players have come from to represent the club. The more players from the state, the larger the rings. The back of the guernsey contains a map of the Ballardong region, where both Bateman and Dolman come from, and below that map are 13 rings, which signify the amount of years Bateman represented the Hawks.
HAWKS' JUMPER Learn more about it here
The artwork of Melbourne's guernsey is fittingly titled 'My Heart Beats True'. The design was created by Mali Isabel, whose family's connection to the club is at the core of the design. Mali's younger brother, and passionate Demons fan KC Melbourne Herriman-Place suffered from cardiomyopathy and underwent a heart transplant in 2020 and Mali credits the club and players for helping him through the tough time. At the centre of Mali’s artwork is a beating heart to represent KC's journey through cardiomyopathy. The heart's five layers represent the club staff, the players, the community, Mali's family and KC's heart donor. The names of all Indigenous players to represent the Demons are etched onto the back of the jumper.
DEMONS' JUMPER Learn more about it here
Designed by Wemba Wemba, Gunditjmara, Ngadjonji and Taungurung artist Emma Bamblett, North's guernsey design is titled 'Kangaroo Way'. It was inspired by the club's First Nations players including skipper Jy Simpkin and Robert Hansen jnr, the unity of the club and its existence on Wurundjeri Country. Featuring the club's traditional royal blue and white stripes as the base, it has kangaroo tracks throughout to represent the journey of the club. The design also features a football field and a Bunjil on the right to represent the club's home of Arden Street Oval, while the waterhole and the half Sherrin on the left represent the waters that surround Arden Street Oval and the game of football.
KANGAROOS' JUMPER Learn more about it here
Port Adelaide will again be rebranded as Yartapuulti for Sir Doug Nicholls Round, with its First Nations guernsey to be worn in games against Hawthorn and North Melbourne. This year's design is inspired by the essence of family and was a collaboration between two-time premiership player Byron Pickett and his first cousin Melanie Pickett. The guernsey depicts Byron's strong connection to family, to the land and to the Port Adelaide region, as well as the seven current First Nations Yartapuulti AFL players. The design is centred around three round symbols, while the Port River forms the traditional Yartapuulti 'V' shape across the chest.
POWER'S JUMPER Learn more about it here
Maurice Rioli Jnr and his mother, Alberta Kerinauia, designed the Tigers' 2024 Dreamtime guernsey. The design speaks of the deep connection between the Rioli family and the Richmond Football Club. Maurice Rioli snr played 118 matches for Richmond and was a Norm Smith and Jack Dyer medallist. The design features two family totems - the turtle (father) and the crocodile (mother). The spears featured on the back of the jumper depict those used for hunting or battle in the Tiwi Islands.
TIGERS' JUMPER Learn more about it here
The Saints will wear two different jumpers across the fortnight, which have been designed by proud Wagiman man and Indigenous artist Nathan Patterson, featuring a yellow variation for the home clash against Walyalup (Fremantle) before wearing a white alternative against Narrm (Melbourne). St Kilda will also go by the Boon Wurrung name of Euro-Yroke across this years Sir Doug Nicholls Round. Natural elements of Euro-Yroke are reflected across each tri-colour design, beginning with the water and waves of the bay, sandy shorelines and coastal vegetation.
SAINTS' JUMPER Learn more about it here
Sydney's guernsey was designed by proud Yuin artist Richard Campbell, uncle of former Swans player James Bell, in conjunction with our ARA First Nations Foundations program. Richard worked with the children to design the artwork which was then adapted for the guernsey. It depicts Richard's totem, Gunyu, the black swan with the swan's feathers transforming into an elder, Gumaraa, meaning wise old man. Gumaraa is looking back through his totem and sees the past, present, and the future of his country. The Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge represent the present and the future. They are built on Gumaraa's homelands and are surrounded by the vast waters where he fished.
SWANS' JUMPER Learn more about it here
West Coast's guernsey features the 'Ngulari' (wedge-tailed eagle) surrounded by the map of Western Australia. Designed by Yamatji artist Loretta Egan, a lifelong Eagles fan and niece of renowned actor Ernie Dingo, the 'Ngularl' has also been influenced by former club champion Chris Lewis. The circle in the centre represents the Eagles' nest, while the U-shapes around the circle represent people sitting around the home of the Eagles. The four stars represent the four premierships the club has won.
EAGLES' JUMPER Learn more about it here
The Bulldogs' design, inspired by the communities and the land in Victoria's west, was created by Tarni Jarvis, a proud Djab Wurrong, Kirrae Wurrong and Peak Wurrong woman who lives on Wadawurrung country in Ballarat. For the first time in the club's history, two guernseys have been created to mark the two-week Sir Doug Nicholls Round celebrations - a home kit in the usual Bulldogs blue, as well as a clash guernsey that is predominately white. The traditional hoops have been replaced with riverways, representing the connection between different countries of the west, while the arches at the bottom symbolise mountain ranges, with communities represented alongside. The same riverways can be seen in the background of the design as well.
BULLDOGS' JUMPER Learn more about it here
