Richmond's Daniel Rioli says he aspired to take part in Dreamtime games as a teen while Essendon's Jade Gresham is set to fulfil a similar wish on Saturday as their club's head into the contest from unfamiliar territory compared to recent seasons.
Rioli and Gresham joined Bombers icon Michael Long ahead of the AFL's centrepiece to Sir Doug Nicholls Round at the MCG on Monday.
The Tigers had won eight-straight Dreamtime at the 'G matches, with premiership years amongst them, before the Bombers snatched the four points last year courtesy of Sam Durham's set shot from the goal square with seven seconds on the clock.
Languishing with the one win and off consecutive 90-plus point losses, Richmond face a Bombers outfit instilling unfamiliar hopes and in second spot on the ladder after 10 rounds - their highest positioning in a decade.
Gresham said the chance to take centre stage in the competition's celebration of Indigenous players and culture was an influencing factor in crossing from St Kilda in last year's trade period ahead of his first Dreamtime outing.
"I always grew up coming to these games as a little fella. I guess this is one of the reasons why you want to come to a club like Essendon. To play in these games and represent your culture and Indigenous people…hopefully we put on a good show," he said.
The Yorta Yorta man isn't getting ahead of himself after their strong start to 2024 with a "long season" still to unfold and a tight competition despite loving his start to life at the Hangar.
"I'm just really happy and love playing footy. The Bombers supporters as well, they've been awesome. To play in front of a packed house every week is something I've never really had and it's been awesome and hopefully they can keep turning up for us. They're getting behind us and they're gonna go a long way for us this year," Gresham said.
For Rioli, Dreamtime games were a special part of the calendar and a spectacle in his former years.
Before being drafted to the Tigers, he told his mates he hoped he would take part in them when they travelled from Ballarat during his youth.
The 27-year-old said the games get "better and better each year", and will look past the disappointment of his Uncle Maurice - who had surgery on his ankle last week, missing with injury as his side look to snap at tough run and growing casualty ward.
"I think we've just been a bit off. Our intensity's there, our efforts there, but we just can't sort of nail our game plan. So if we get that right and tweak more little things I think things will come our way," Rioli said.
"We're not going to come out to the 'G on Saturday night hoping to lose. We want to come here and hopefully get a win and that's our mindset."
Rioli also commented on both side's Indigenous jumpers, showcasing his home in the Tiwi Islands.
Maurice Rioli helped design the Tigers guernsey for 2024 with his mum.
Asked on recent insights into the decline of Indigenous players at the top level, both players said they see recruitment - both in remote pockets of the country, the Northern Territory and also inner city areas as a measure to shifting the dial.
For Long, Dreamtime games were something which kicked off after his playing days, but will be celebrated with the continuation of the Long Walk's place as part of the game outside the gates before the first bounce.
"It's gone very quickly, obviously 20 years of the Long Walk. We actually brought forward the walk last year in line with the referendum. We knew it was gonna be a big ask from Australia," Long said.
"But we've still continued the work we do and obviously using football as a platform about reconciliation, bringing people together.
"What I've learned in the game about the passion and love for the sport - use that platform to do that. So it's quite a special one this year for us. Not only just celebrating what we've done in schools and education. Football has played an important part, an integral part, of lifting that for us."
