Dreamtime at the 'G on Saturday night

May 18, 2011

The Dreamtime at the 'G AFL match between Richmond and Essendon will be played this Saturday night, May 21, at the MCG.

The annual match is the highlight of the AFL's Indigenous Round and is a celebration of indigenous culture.

Click here for full details about the event

Activities will commence at 4pm with the curtain-raiser match featuring participants from the Footy Means Business program.

Light installations will project images of indigenous art and indigenous footballers onto the outside of the MCG.

The Long Walk activities commence at Federation Square from 4pm, with the walk to the MCG via Birrarung Marr to begin at 5.50pm.

More than 600 walkers will make their way onto the MCG surface as part of the pre-match entertainment.

Pre-match entertainment will commence at 7pm and will include a traditional warrior dance, ‘Warrior for Life’ performed by Yung Warriors featuring Deline Briscoe, and Coloured Stone will perform ‘Black Boy’.

Prior to the match, Wurundjeri elder Aunty Joy Murphy-Wandin will conduct a ‘Welcome to Country’ ceremony to welcome the clubs and spectators to the traditional lands of the local Indigenous community. 

In memory of Maurice Rioli who passed away last December, his brothers John and Cyril Rioli II will toss the coin.

At the conclusion of the game, the player judged best on ground will be presented with the Yiooken award. Pronounced yie-yoo-ken, it is a word from the Woiwurrung language of the Wurundjeri people which means ‘dreaming’.

Previous winners of the award are: Dean Polo (2006), James Hird (2007), Nathan Foley (2008), Jason Winderlich (2009) and David Hille (2010).

Dreamtime at the 'G Running Sheet

3.45pm                 MCG gates open
4.00pm                 Curtain-raiser match commences
4.00pm                 Long Walk activities commence at Federation Square
5.50pm                 Long Walk leaves Federation Square for the MCG
6.20pm                 Walkers arrive at MCG
7.00pm                 Pre-match entertainment commences
7.04pm                 600 walkers enter the MCG as part of pre-match entertainment
7.35pm                 Welcome to Country Ceremony performed by Aunty Joy Murphy-Wandin
7.40pm                 Match commences
10.15pm (appx)    Match concludes. Presentation of the Yiooken award