This weekend, Murray Bushrangers will change their name for a significant reason.
Dungala, the Indigenous name for Murray, will replace the Bushrangers moniker as the side in black, yellow and purple welcomes country rival Bendigo Pioneers to Mercury Drive in round 12 of the Coates Talent League.
The change recognises the land’s traditional owners ahead of NAIDOC Week (July 2-9).
Players will also don a statement Indigenous guernsey designed by Murray Bushrangers assistant coach and Rumbalara premiership player Levi Power.
It’s the first of its kind for the club, with Murray Bushrangers talent lead Mick Wilson lauding the initiative and acknowledgement.
“It’s really important that we celebrate and highlight the significant contributions of our Indigenous community in the Bushrangers program over the years,” he said.
“We’ve had a few Indigenous players go on to play at the highest level, but regardless, we’ve always had strong representation in our programs.
“Those Indigenous players have never been recognised before in a way like this and Levi Power has been terrific in organising this initiative.”
Power will lead the Dungala under-18 side in the absence of head coach Mark Brown, who serves as an assistant for Victoria Country in its clash with Western Australia at the 2023 AFL National Championships this weekend.
The outfit sits 14th with two wins and six losses, while Pioneers approach as a slight favourite due to their 3-5 record.
Meanwhile, Dungala’s under-18 girls side seeks its first points of the season going up against a Pio’s unit with two wins to its name.
Saturday’s matches are propped up by a weightier backlog of events stretching back to May.
The Dungala Talent Pathway was launched in the hopes of unearthing more Indigenous talent housed in the region following recent successes of star AFL players Jarman Impey and Jy Simpkin.
And what better place for it to come to a head than Mercury Drive.
A Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement Ceremony will take place in between the boys and girls matches at Rumbalara Recreation Reserve, including a smoking ceremony conducted by the Dungala Talent Pathway squad.
“We’re playing at the spiritual home for a lot of our Indigenous football community at Rumbalara, so it’s going to be a massive weekend for the club,” Wilson said.