LAST weekend's indigenous round got me thinking about some of the issues surrounding indigenous communities that have been in the spotlight.
I travel around Queensland a lot and see some fairly worrying scenes of indigenous youth in trouble.
But I also see many indigenous kids having fun kicking footballs in parks and on streets, and the untapped potential on display is often amazing.
It’s the type of thing you just want to embrace and harness to its full potential.
The kids I see are often in very difficult and confronting circumstances, with football one of the main avenues they have to create a better life.
But it’s a difficult balancing act even when they do make that step to the elite level.
Brisbane youngster Rhan Hooper is a perfect example of a terrific indigenous footballer who has had troubles early in his career.
The Ipswich product has tremendous natural ability but last year lost his enthusiasm and decided to quit the game.
But with the help of the Lions Hooper eventually decided to stick it out and is now playing a key role in their revival.
He realises he has a wonderful opportunity in life, and I’m very proud of the fact that he’s one of the 72 indigenous footballers in the AFL, which is a record for a single season.
Many of those players are gamebreakers who can dazzle in short bursts, while others are true superstars like Lance Franklin, Andrew McLeod and Adam Goodes.
These indigenous footballers carry a huge responsibility in the game and in their communities.
With all the problems in many indigenous communities, it is vitally important that we have people who can be role models and leaders.
These players are often treated with kids gloves because of the pressure they face, and fair enough.
We need to give these kids every opportunity to reach their potential, whether that is in the AFL or as leaders in their communities.
A great example is Darryl White, who was in Cairns earlier this week to talk with indigenous youths who were playing in an under-17 school championships.
White had plenty of troubles as a youngster and made it clear to us at the club at times that he wasn’t keen to hang around.
But he’s now a true inspiration to the next generation of indigenous success stories.
