AN ANGRY Kevin Sheedy has warned any recruiter with racist ideas that they will be hunted down and banished from the game.
The issue has re-surfaced after AFL engagement and talent co-ordinator Chris Johnson said he was "very aware" that some clubs felt it was easier to recruit non-indigenous players over indigenous players.
Johnson's comments came after findings revealed there had been a dramatic increase in the number of indigenous players coming off primary lists over the past two years.
But Sheedy slammed the recruiting philosophy and said he would happily take any indigenous player off the list of a rival club and add them to the Giants' squad.
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"I tell you now if they don't pick indigenous players, I will," Sheedy told a press conference in Canberra ahead of his team's NAB Cup clash with Richmond on Saturday.
"And if there's any [Aboriginal footballer] out there that [a club doesn't] want and I can get hold of them, we'll pick them, because indigenous players have put the dream time into AFL.
"One of the best decisions when we went from VFL to AFL over 25 years ago has been the flavour of indigenous players coming into our game.
"If there's one or two rogue recruiting officers that need to be sorted out, then they'll get sorted out and we'll definitely smash them out of our game.
"I will personally - I won't persecute them - but they won't be happy about what's going to happen to them."
Sheedy was a pioneer of championing the Aboriginal cause in the AFL.
He was also the driving force behind the annual 'Dreamtime at the G' match between his former clubs Essendon and Richmond (the winning club is presented with the Kevin Sheedy Cup).
And he has a zero tolerance of anyone who would consider not recruiting a player because of his background.
"We're the most positive sport in Australia about indigenous players," he said.
"I was hoping in the next two or three years we (GWS) would recruit the one-hundredth indigenous player in the country.
"We're very positive about building this club and building the game and we're involved in one of the largest indigenous communities in Blacktown and western Sydney.
"If we find out anybody thinking that way, they need to be sat down and addressed, or get out of the game.
"And get out of the game for good."
GWS GIANTS v Richmond Tigers
Saturday March 17
12.30 PM
Manuka Oval
