The GIANTS will celebrate Indigenous Round when they play the West Coast Eagles at ŠKODA Stadium this Saturday.

As part of Indigenous round, the GIANTS will be holding their own Long Walk, made famous by former Essendon champion Michael Long.

Long, one of the most recognisable Indigenous figures in the AFL, founded the Long Walk on November 21, 2004, as he embarked on a trek from his home in Melbourne to Parliament House in Canberra to meet with Prime Minister John Howard.

Under coach Kevin Sheedy, Long played in two premiership sides during his time at Essendon and won the 1993 Norm Smith Medal.

Sheedy, who helped pioneer the ‘Dreamtime at the ‘G’ game between Essendon and Richmond, has worked closely with Long to integrate ‘The Long Walk’ into the AFL’s Indigenous Round and ‘Dreamtime at the ‘G’ game.

Today, thousands participate in The Long Walk in Melbourne to celebrate Indigenous Round, concluding with a lap of the MCG prior to the match.

The GIANTS Long Walk:

The GIANTS Long Walk will start at Sydney Olympic Park train station at 12pm. It will then head down to Cathy Freeman Park and will conclude with a lap of ŠKODA Stadium.

Sheedy urges all fans to get involved in The Long Walk prior to the GIANTS v Eagles clash at ŠKODA Stadium on Saturday.

“The Long Walk is a great initiative that I encourage all fans to get involved in,” Sheedy said.

“ It’s a great way that we as people in this country can get together to raise awareness of racial discrimination that unfortunately still exists in sport and in society today.

“It allows us to celebrate Australian Indigenous culture and the history of our fantastic country.”  

CLICK HERE to register and take part in The Long Walk.