Paddy Ryder willingly accepted the responsibility of symbolic elder for a growing list of St Kilda's Indigenous recruits not long after his anticipated arrival.

But while only in a third year at Moorabbin, the Noongar man has bowed down to the courage of former Saint Gilbert McAdam's feats.

The pair gathered at the club's spiritual home and training base for an exclusive chat on Trading Tales: Brothers, bravery and big moments with Paddy and Gilbert.

Ryder openly thanked McAdam, the 10th Indigenous person to run out for the club, over his contribution to the game for his people that motivated the ruckman to be a role model for Aboriginal kids.

Gilbert McAdam. Picture: AFL NT

"I always like to pay my respects to blokes like you that paved the way for us to get through," Ryder said.

"We have an easier time these days because of what you went through and the way you got through it all.

"We definitely wouldn't have the big numbers we have today.

"We wouldn't have nine on the (St Kilda) list at the moment without you."

The mutual respect went both ways.

The day St Kilda selected seven of its Indigenous players in a club record for a 69-point win against Hawthorn this year left McAdam teary.

The Arrente, Yamba and Kija man just happened to be commentating the momentous occasion.

"For me at the time when I was doing the broadcast, it was just pretty special to have seven of us run out for the team," McAdam said.

"The way you played, you smashed them that day.

"It was an exciting day and I'm glad I was there."

For a career that spanned from 1991 until 1996 across 53 games at St Kilda and later a further 58 at Brisbane, the Indigenous welcome through the front doors from Nicky Winmar, Russell Jeffrey, Jimmy Krakouer and Dale Kickett was a bonus.

But that largest Aboriginal contingency at a Victorian club three decades ago does not even compare to having Ryder lead out Jade Gresham, Ben Long, Bradley Hill, Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, Jarrod Lienert, Marcus Windhager, Jack Peris and Josiah Kyle.

Ryder has been no stranger to sharing the mob banter in the locker room either, after the brotherhood stacked up to eight one year at Essendon and nine at Port Adelaide.

It's no accident after falling out at the Bombers over the supplements scandal Ryder handpicked clubs which embraced Indigenous culture.

"As I am a lot older now, I think I do appreciate a lot more having nine of us around," Ryder said.

"When I was at Essendon and Port Adelaide, and having a lot of the brothers there, it was just more having heaps of fun.

https://www.nit.com.au/nicky-winmar-opens-up-on-heartfelt-and-heartbreak-relationship-with-tough-love-father/

"But now I sit back, look, and appreciate it a lot more now.

"I realise how special it actually is to have those seven of us run out for one game."

It gets Ryder thinking for a moment back to when there was no Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous Round or the Aboriginal guernseys that accompany the week.

McAdam remembers it well too, but not gladly.

"The thing I am so proud of now is when you have Indigenous Round, and you see our designs on a guernsey," McAdam said.

"It would have never happened in our day - it wouldn't," he said.

"Then you look on the oval and see the Aboriginal flag in the centre circle, you look at the goal square and you see it there, and then you get the welcome to country.

"That stuff never existed in my day, so for me, as a former player, when I see all this of how far we've come, we know we've come a long way.

"I'm so proud of the AFL for acknowledging that and really taking ownership of it."

McAdam said the acknowledgement was just recognition for the huge contribution from Indigenous people to the game.

The 55-year-old never can think of the past without thinking of that day of infamy at Victoria Park against Collingwood.

It was a ground St Kilda had not won in 17 years, dating back to 1976.

But in a modern rivalry something had to give.

"I had a feeling it was going to happen because we had a history with Collingwood before that game," McAdam said.

Winmar earned the three Brownlow Medal votes, but McAdam was not far behind polling the next two.

McAdam kicked five goals that day, Winmar four, most of their bag targeting the Collingwood cheer squad end of goals.

That was where Winmar lifted up a sweaty guernsey and pointed to the pride of his skin to baiting fans, whose billowing racist chants had far from subsided.

"I'm so proud of us, brother," McAdam said.

"I'm just so lucky and fortunate that I played in that game.

"You don't know what's going to happen.

"You just go out to play footy until the game is over."

Story by Andrew Mathieson