He recalled a conversation he had with recruiter John Turnbull shortly after being drafted, when he noted that there hadn’t been many Indigenous players at Hawthorn.

Turnbull told him about a now infamous comment by a senior club official – that Turnbull “would do a great job just as long as he didn’t draft anyone with skin darker than his own”.

Hawthorn’s Reconciliation Action Plan admits there was “resistance to recruiting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players” throughout the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s.

More recently, the Hawks have been embroiled in an AFL investigation into allegations of racism by First Nations players between 2008 and 2016.

Bateman did not discuss the recent allegations into racism at Hawthorn, however spoke about how the comments to Turnbull “wouldn’t have happened too long before I arrived at the club”.

“It wouldn’t have been a policy as such, but there were some preconceived ideas and misconceptions about First Nations people and what they can bring to the club, as not only footballers but as strong role models and good people as well,” Bateman said.

“So once I found out that, I really wanted to do all I could to change some of those ideals … If there was anyone else who viewed my people in that way, I wanted to do all I could to change those perceptions.”

Among his role models were Peter Matera and Adam Goodes, whom Bateman describes as “strong men and tied to their culture and good role models”.

“I really wanted to be that sort of person as well,” he said. “And I was really fortunate that AFL footy and the Hawthorn Football Club allowed me to have that platform where I could do that.”

Bateman worked with Whadjuk, Ballardong and Eastern Arrernte artist Jade Dolman to design the Hawks’ 2024 Indigenous guernsey, inspired by his own story and the contributions of First Nations players across the competition’s history.

A Hawk represents the common ground of the club and is in the centre of the jumper. Surrounding the Hawk are rings that represent the states where players have come from to represent Hawthorn. The back of the guernsey contains a map of the Ballardong region, where both Bateman and Dolman come from, and below that map are 13 rings, which signify the years Bateman played for the Hawks.

Each of the league’s 18 clubs has an Indigenous guernsey. Scroll through our gallery to see each design and discover the stories behind them.

Bateman, who won a premiership with Hawthorn in 2008 and now works with West Coast as Indigenous development manager, says the industry is still far from perfect when it comes to racism.

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“Things have improved, but ... we still see cases of racism, whether it be on social media or stuff getting yelled over the fence, so we know that that’s still an issue in society,” he said.

As part of the design, he wanted to recognise the impact Indigenous players have had in bringing “so much joy to footy fans all over the country”.

“It’s also about recognising that things weren’t as easy for us as First Nations players … And [that’s] a really important part of the round because those forefathers in AFL footy have done a lot of hard work to make the environment much better and a safe one for First Nations players now,” said Bateman.

His sons Charlie,7, and Max, 5 (he and his partner are also expecting a daughter due in July), already have a guernsey, which Bateman says helps give them a connection to his playing career.

“I’ll be something that my kids will be able to sort of look back on when they’re a little bit older and understand the significance of the guernsey and then learn more about my story and my journey at the Hawthorn Football Club.

“So it’s really special in that sense.”

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