Top 5 indigenous players drafted in the AFL ft. Lance Franklin 

There have been 178 players of Indigenous Australian heritage who have played professionally in the league since the formation of the VFL in 1897 till now in the AFL.

The first Indigenous Australian to be recognized was Fitzroy’s Joe Johnston who played 55 games between 1904 and 1906 and was part of their 1904 and 1905 premiership winning teams.

This week marks the second part of the Sir Doug Nicholls round (SDNR). The SDNR is a celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and their contributions to Australian football. It is scheduled annually for the 10th and 11th rounds of the home and away season. Many of the greatest players in the AFL's history are of indigenous descent. This article lists the five greatest among them.

Top 5 indigenous players drafted in the AFL

#5 Peter Matera

West Coast Eagles premiership player Peter Matera

Peter Matera debuted for West Coast in 1990 as a forward. He is most known for his performance against Geelong in the 1992 grand final when he scored 5 goals and was awarded the Norm Smith medal. He won one more premiership in 1994. He was selected for the All-Australian team in 1991, 1993, 1994, 1996, and 1997. He retired in 2003 after 253 games for the West Coast Eagles and kicked 217 goals.

#4 Andrew MacLeod

Andrew McLeod of the All-Stars kicks the ball during the EJ Whitten Legends Match

MacLeod is considered to be the greatest player in Adelaide's history. He was part of the 1997 and 1998 flags wins. He also won the Norm Smith medal in both years. He won the Leigh Matthews trophy in 2001. He was also selected for the All-Australian team five times: in 1998, 2000, 2001, 2006, and was captain in 2007. He retired in 2010.

#3 Lance Franklin

Lance Franklin of the Swans looks on during a Sydney Swans AFL training session

Lance Franklin began his AFL career with Hawthorn in 2005. He was part of their premiership teams of 2008 and 2013. In 2008, he kicked 113 goals, making him the first player since Tony Lockett in 1998 to kick 100 goals and to date, no other player has done that. He was the leading kicker at Hawthorn for six consecutive seasons: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012. He moved to Sydney in 2013 and was the leading goalkicker for seven seasons: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, and 2022.

Franklin won the Coleman medal three more times since 2008 — 2011, 2014, and 2017. He was selected in the All-Australian team eight times: 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, and was captain in 2018. He scored a total of 1066 goals which has him ranked fourth for the highest career goals. He retired in 2023 after a calf injury against Essendon.

#2 Gavin Wanganeen

Gavin Wanganeen poses for a photo before the 2024 AFL Gather Round Welcome Dinner Event

Gavin Wanganeen began his career with Port Adelaide when they were still in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL), and won the premiership in 1990. He debuted in the AFL for Essendon in 1991. He won the flag in 1993 and was a Brownlow medalist the same year, making him the first Indigenous Australian to receive the award. He won another flag in 2004 after he returned to Port Adelaide and was their inaugural captain in the AFL.

Wanganeen was selected in the All-Australian team five times: 1992, 1993, 1995, 2001, and 2003. At the time of his retirement in 2003, he was the first Indigenous player to cross the 300th game milestone. He was listed at number 19 on the Champions of Essendon list and is a member of their Team of the Century. He was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2010 and the South Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2012.

#1 Adam Goodes

Adam Goodes

Goodes played 372 games for the Sydney Swans and won two premierships in 2005 and 2006.

He was the first Indigenous Australian to win two Brownlow Medals: in 2003 and 2006, and one of 12 to do it in general. He was a four-time all-Australian and was the leading goal-kicker three times for the Swans. He held the record for most games played by an Indigenous Australian until Shaun Burgoyne broke his record.