It was anchors away as Fremantle Football Club unveiled its sharp new Indigenous jumper ahead of a fortnight of AFL fixtures, when the profound impact and flair Aboriginal players have on the national game are celebrated.

Playing and operating as Walyalup Football Club for the upcoming 2024 Sir Doug Nicholls Round, club legend Michael Johnson and cousin Daniel McHenry on Tuesday unveiled their design of the 2024 design, which pays respect to their family bloodlines.

The renaming concept was devised over two years and follows the footsteps of Melbourne, who played as the Narrm Football Club in 2022.

Walyalup players will wear the striking jumper - whose most distinguishing feature, a spear replaces the club's iconic and sometime-emblematic anchor symbol - against matches with Euro-Yroke (St Kilda) on Saturday at Marvel Stadium and Collingwood at Optus Stadium the following round on May 24, to a prime-time national Friday night TV audience.

The meaning of the Walyalup design

Walyalup is the Noongar country in and around Fremantle, with the Walyalup Club logo designed by past player and Next Generation Academy coach, Roger Hayden.

The Karli (boomerang) and Ketj (spears) replace the club's regular guernsey chevrons, in a callback to the anchor on the original Fremantle jumper Johnson wore.

"Bringing the anchor back but putting it in our way with the spears and the Boomerang is one of my favourite elements on the jumper," McHenry said.

Johnson said he couldn't wait to see the Walyalup boys run representing the club in the jumper.

"It's the jumper that I wore, and it is the colours that I supported when I was younger, so to bring it back into this design is a special moment for us," he said.

The club thanked thank its Indigenous program partner, Woodside Energy for its support transitioning to Walyalup over the next fortnight, and other initiatives through its Reconciliation Action Plan.

Johnson, who holds the club record for most games played by an Indigenous player, and sits equal-fourth overall on 244 games with fellow tall defender Luke McPharlin, on Tuesday detailed the story behind the 2024 design.

Fellow Indigenous Docker Michael Walters - who modelled the jumper alongside his captain and fellow First Nations footballer Alex Pearce - said he always enjoyed watching Indigenous players during Sir Doug Nicholls Round, in line with Johnson's story on the design, which paid respect to those who came before.

"I'm really proud to wear it and would be proud to get it done against St Kilda (Euro-Yroke) as well," he said, in reference to fellow Indigenous players and former teammates Brad Hill and Liam Henry.

"There are some players there that I've played with and look forward to playing against.

"To go away and play against the boys that I've mentioned … They are boys I really enjoyed playing with, boys I have a real connection with.

"So to go across and not only play against them, but to go across and see them again is good."

The Design

The colours on the design (red, green, purple and white) are used to honour the first Fremantle jumper Johnson wore, but they also represent he and cousin Michael's family roots.

"It is about the bloodlines, where we come from, and who has paved the path for us young Aboriginal men and women in our families," Johnson said.

The green represents Ballardong country, which encompass the towns of Quairading and Badjaling) from which Johnson and McHenry's Nan hails from, while the red represents Kija country (Halls Creek), the red dirt country that Johnson and McHenry's Pop hails from.

Leading to the middle and forefront of the jumper design, the Moort (family) is represented by the male and female figures of Johnson and McHenry's Moyran (grandparents) getting married in Quairading, surrounded by their Koorlanka (children).

When looking at the jumper, bloodline paths that lead off the Moort to the top of the design represent McHenry (right) and Johnson (left), with their five and three Koorlanka, bloodlines that will continue to represent stories yet to be told on their journeys.

At the top of the jumper is a hibiscus flower, which is known as both the Stolen Generation and also the National Sorry Day Flower, a symbol of strength, healing and resilience.

"All along I wanted to bring along the Elders and show that we respect what they've done in the paving of the path for a lot of us younger generations of Ballardong Noongars," Johnson said on Tuesday.

The back of the jumper features a reference to previous Indigenous jumpers designed by Roger Hayden, Dale Kickett and Richard Walley, incorporating their designs, with their permission, and continuing Johnson's theme of paying respect to those that have come before.

The Kooyar (frog) is the family totem for Johnson and McHenry. It is connected within the bloodline of the story and sits firmly besides the ensemble of past and present Indigenous players throughout the club's 30 years.

"We have all our past and present players with our totem there in the frog, which is a big part of our life as well and our culture," McHenry said.

Click here to see a presentation of the meaning behind the Walyalup Football Club and scroll down for further information on the Walyalup design.

The Kimberley Stolen Generation Aboriginal Corporation gave the Fremantle Football Club permission to use the flower on its Indigenous jumpers - click here to purchase your own flower or learn more about their important work.

Wargyl

Wargyl is the major spirit for Noongar People and central to our beliefs and customs. The Wargyl is a snake or rainbow serpent recognised by Noongar as the 'Giver of Life', maintaining all fresh water sources. It was the Wargyl that made Noongar People custodians of the land.

Yondock

Yondock is the ancestral crocodile that travelled from the North to Noongar Country during the Dreamtime. Yondock caused floods and disturbances, creating Wadjemup (Rottnest Island), Ngooloormayaup (Carnac Island), Derbal Nara (Cockburn Sound), and flooding the Derbal Yerrigan (Swan River) with salt water.

The Centre

The small-sized circles and dots on the outer layer of the artwork represent the different places people have come from to get to Walyalup. The 14 medium-sized circles and dots, symbolise the number of First Nation Groups within Noongar Country.

The four large-sized circles and dots recognise the four groups within Whadjuk Noongar Country. Mooro, Mandoon/Moorda, Beeloo, Beeliar. The lines connecting these circles are Bidi's (tracks and pathways) leading to the central meeting place (Walyalup).

At the centre of the design is the central meeting place which represents Walyalup (Fremantle). The shape surrounding the central meeting place depicts the people that have travelled from near and far to Walyalup.