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Aaron Davey – The Brothers’ keeper

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When the time came for the AFL’s Indigenous All Stars to choose a leader for the inaugural performance of its war cry before the game against the Tigers in Alice Springs in February, its selection was an obvious one – Aaron Davey.

At 29 years of age and after more than 150 AFL games Davey has become one of the most respected players in the AFL and the heartbeat of the Indigenous crew.

Speaking to On the Couch in 2007 then Melbourne coach Neale Daniher spoke of Davey’s quality as a leader. He hinted the Territorian may one day captain the oldest football club in the land. While that hasn’t come to fruition for Davey (he was vice-captain in 2011) his position as an Indigenous elder within the playing group and a leader within the wider community is of greater significance.

Former All Stars teammate Cory McGrath says through Davey’s “honesty and willingness to help others”, his leadership and mentoring within the AFL Indigenous community is “second to none”.

“He is definitely not afraid to speak his mind. One thing that stands out is his stance in educating the media in relation to writing on Indigenous issues within football and the community,” McGrath said.

The man they call Flash is the pick of the bunch, a bunch that includes names like Goodes, McLeod, O’Loughlin and Johnson.

Davey struggles to answer why or how he has earned such respect and he says it is “more me being myself and not something that I’m not”, and he gives the credit to the guidance shown to him by former teammate Matthew Whelan.

“For me coming down from Darwin it was always going to be a bit tough and to have Matty there was massive. He is a special guy to be around and a person I respect highly and look up to and listen to every word he says.”

Davey says he doesn’t feel pressure to be a leader within the AFL Indigenous cohort or a role model to the wider community. At one stage he had five Indigenous players under his wing at the Demons; Jurrah, Wonaeamirri, Jetta, Bennell and Kelvin Lawrence. In Davey’s mind it’s “an instinctive thing” to take the lead.

“I don’t think of it as a job, I just love being around the boys,” he said.

“All the Indigenous guys in the AFL are pretty powerful role models for the whole national Indigenous community. Hopefully what we are doing on and off the football field helps these young guys and girls in the community to one day become successful; whether it is in sport or the work industry.

For a former rookie who got his chance in the big time via Port Melbourne in the VFL, it has been quite a journey thus far.

On the field McGrath says Davey has “changed the game for good”, inventing the role of the small pressure forward. His cheetah like chase downs gave defenders nightmares. Every coach wanted an Aaron Davey.

He was doing what Cyril does, well before Cyril.

“He is up there with the likes of Micky O in terms of the impact Indigenous players have had on the game,” McGrath said.

“He is up there with the likes of Micky O in terms of the impact Indigenous players have had on the game,” McGrath said.

The highest achievement of his career is the 2009 Melbourne best and fairest. That year playing through the midfield, such was the quality of his disposal; former Brownlow Medallist Gerard Healey described his precision kicking as “like a surgeon”.

Davey’s left foot was so hot; he was slicing through the tightest defensive zones like it was butter.

“Surgeon” became a key word over the next few years as knee, leg and hamstring injuries curtailed his brilliance on the field.

But Last week against the Tigers he was back to his best; his left foot sparkled with three goals. He ran, carried and overlapped. The Davey bounce was back.  Despite the Demons’ season from hell Davey says he’s loving football and wants to play-on beyond his current contract, which expires this year.

And Beyond that, he will raise his five kids in Melbourne and he is in the process of “getting a feel” for what he might like to do post-football.

Last year he completed a work placement with AFL Sportsready through the AFL Players’ NextGoal program. He re-united with Whelan to develop a certificate to recognise the mentoring role senior Indigenous players play at football clubs.

Those senior Indigenous players, who like Davey, combine their playing duties with a mentoring, player welfare and development role for their junior Indigenous players, can earn an official qualification.

Whatever he decides to do when he hangs up the boots, Davey says he would like to continue to be seen as a role model and do as much as he can for Indigenous Australians.

“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are screaming out for role models in the community and I have been fortunate to be put in that role. Who knows what will happen, but in some way shape or form I’ll be giving back to Indigenous people no matter what happens.”

Davey believes the biggest issue facing Indigenous players in the AFL is homesickness, but he hopes the support of a best practice policy developed by the Indigenous Advisory Board, of which he is a member, will be part of the solution. He says the strength of the policy is the input into its content from the entire Indigenous playing group.

”It is obviously very valuable information and hopefully it is one of those tools that promote Indigenous talent in our game and things like homesickness are eliminated…”

Earlier this year Davey travelled to Canberra with the AFL Players’ Association Indigenous and Multicultural manager, Kelly Applebee, representing the Indigenous Advisory Board to talk with Government officials.

Would he consider a career in politics?

“Preferably Prime Minister”, he joked…”I wouldn’t put my family or myself through that stress”.

Davey is one of eight nominees in line for this year’s AFL Players’ Madden Medal. The award is given to a retiring great each season, recognising the player’s contributions to the game both on and off the field. The winner will be announced at a ceremony at the Sofitel on October 4.