Welcome to World Footy News Friday, March 29 2024 @ 08:16 pm ACDT

Tigers' Pacific influence on disadvantaged Fitzroy kids

Oceania

When Richmond drafted Piva Wright from the Dandenong Stingrays last season, they added an extra flavor to a broad multicultural melting pot of players at Tiger land. In recent days, Piva, along with the Tigers international rookie player Gideon Simon (PNG), attended the final session of a 10 week footy program that had been run by Richmond for 25 primary-aged children from the Fitzroy housing .

Run in partnership with the Victoria police and supported by Doquile Perrett Meade Financial services, more can be read on the Richmond website here.

Last year, upon the drafting of Wright – the Richmond website reported on the ethnic backgrounds of newly drafted Tigers: Piva Wright (Samoan), Ben Darrou (Moroccan), Gibson Turner (Indigenous), Addam Maric (Croatian), John Heslin (Irish), Brett O’Hanlon (Irish), and Steven Verrier (French), joining the likes of Ivan Maric (Croatian), Dustin Martin (Maori), Bachar Houli (Lebanese), Robbie Nahas (Lebanese), Reece Conca (Italian), Brett Deledio (Italian), Tom Derickx (Dutch), Shane Edwards (Indigenous), Jack Riewoldt (German), Brad Helbig (German), Luke McGuane and Dean MacDonald (Scottish).

It was acknowledged in the article that in some cases you had to delve some way back. This list of course was not inclusive of PNG’s Gideon Simon or Nathan Malbak.