The upcoming round 11 , of the AFL Home and Away Matches , is the Indigenous , " Dreamtime " , Round .

tigers

Clubs are producing specially themed football jumpers  , to celebrate the huge indigenous contribution to AFL  Football .

Striking , decorative , a feast of aboriginal mark makers , these unique football jumpers , jerseys , guernseys , will be worn with pride by all players . They can be purchased from clubs now , and are destined to become collectors items . Its a novel concept , the wearing of art adorned footy jumpers .

Tommy Hafey , inspirational AFL Footy Legend ,was buried earlier in the week , in a moving ceremony at the MCG , surrounded by his beloved Richmond Football Team .

AFL Footy jumpers are set to have players names on the back .

The AFL has had a 100 year tradition of leaving the players guernseys nameless . 2014 sees them break this tradition , and is trialling the naming process this year.

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Begs the question is it for identification purposes of trial by video ? Will it will identify on field players from each other . Fans will clearly know who they are supporting or heckling , and umpires will know who to penalise !

Where will the name go ? Above the number ? Or under the sponsor ?

Historically , many sporting codes have printed the players names on the back . The British EPL , and European Football Clubs , have done so for many years .

Does this mean the humble AFL football jumper , jersey , guernsey , is finally coming of age ?

Bombers Guernsey

An all indigenous team of AFL Football Players , are playing games in Ireland , titled the International Rules Series . It uses a round ball , and different rules to AFL . Proud team members are wearing  Dreamtime themed , football jumpers , jerseys , guernseys .

Hawks footy jumper

The Aussie team lost the first match by 22-points to Ireland , at Breffni Park in Cavan . Post match , their coach admitted they struggled with using a round ball , and found the positioning of the game confusing . He was not satisfied with their chase , run and tackling skills and believed they  failed to apply pressure to the opposition .

Vintage Tigers Footy Jumper

Bombers Jumper

Buddy Franklin , new Sydney recruit , was one of the best on ground for the Aussies , but has now left  to attend a wedding back home .
The Australians will find it difficult to win the International Rules Series and the Cormac McAnnellen Perpetual Trophy.

The Indigenous All-Stars will have to win the Second Test by at least 23 points to do so. Coach O'Loughlin , believes they can win but concedes

"It's going to be tough, absolutely, really, really tough. But stranger things have happened," he said.

Reports of late night partying by the team after the loss , have also been downplayed by the coach . He believes they have settled now , are focused , and as a proud group of elite , AFL footballers , will attempt to win the Series and take pride in wearing  their indigenous football jumpers , jerseys , guernseys .

Round 13 of the AFL 2013 Season threw up a few surprises.  Elsewhere , AFL Footy was played for a good cause , to the scenery of punters wearing their vintage football jumpers , jerseys , guernseys , against a backdrop of Aussie Rock and Roll .

lions win

In a stellar season , the Tigers keep roaring with a win over the Bulldogs , in front of a saturday night footy crowd . The Lions snatched certain victory away from the marauding Cats , in the upset of the round , when they kicked the winning goal after the siren. They staged a massive comeback  after a 52 point deficit at 3/4 time . The Power shocked Sydney in SA to post a win , Freo thrashed NMFC in WA , and the Hawks retain top spot after clipping the Eagles wings on friday night footy .  To add to their already absymal season , Saints defender Stephen Milne , has again had criminal charges laid against him . The hapless Saints beat bottom of the ladder dwellers Melbourne , who continue to struggle , despite sacking their coach last week .

power up

Last Sunday at Elsternwick Park , the annual Community Cup , a fundraiser for Reclink , was played out under blue skies to the backdrop of  rock & roll. This year it was the grizzled Rockdogs , ably captained by Dan Sultan and pragmatically coached by Aussie rockgod Paul Kelly , who drew with the try hard , local  broadcasters,  Megahertz . A crowd of 10,000 punters gloried in the action , wearing their vintage footy jumpers , jerseys , and retro guenrseys , whilst nursing a VB and pie ,  rocking the music , and revelling in the unseasonal June sunshine  .

saints strife

. Megahertz players donned the red and white Swans colours , whilst the Rockdogs wore  the indigenous colours of black yellow and red , in their football jumpers , jerseys , guernseys .

Every Footy Jumper has a story to tell .

Footy Jumpers are Memories

Stories like , it was Uncle Berts which he wore during the tussle for the 1939 premiers flag . This old woollen jumper , has been in the family since the 20's , and has been passed down to the oldest boy in the family ever since . My second cousin , twice removed , bought this for me at Ball and Welch Emporium in Swan st , Richmond , in the 60's . See this dark mark , Royce Hart  bled on it  . A damp patch where Ben Cousins cried . More poignantly , a Fitzroy jumper was used to bind the Kelpie dog's leg , after he was run over in busy st georges rd , and  had to be rushed to the Lort Smith animal Hospital . We found this Saints jumper in the bottom of my grandfathers wardrobe , its a beaut vintage number , free of moth holes . Bruce Doull played in this , I'm sure John Coleman had one like this and Paul Roos led the last Fitzroy team in this .

Most recently the jumpers stories run along the lines off , see this signature , its Buckley 's on the day he retired . This is the Bombers guernsey that Hirdy touched as he ran off the field when we beat Collingwood , ten  Anzac Day Games ago  . This colourful jersey is the one depicting the Dreamtime theme of the AFL indigenous round . A jumper has the special Grand Final Logo , or the commemorative insignia worn to celebrate the Melbourne Football Clubs 150 years of playing footy . Lenny Hayes cried in a jumper just like this when we lost the Grannie to the Pies !

Little kids love their footy jumpers so much they want to sleep in them ! Proudly worn on match day , and any old time , they are cherished , loved and prized . Often passed on from generation to generation , or shared with others . Remarked upon , criticised , joked about  ,but never ignored . Part of Aussie folklore , you bet !