Dreamtime at the 'G

Dreamtime at the 'G match logo
Teams	Essendon Richmond
First meeting	9 July 2005
Latest meeting	25 May 2024
Next meeting	2025
Broadcasters	Network Ten (2005–2011) Seven Network (2012–present)
Stadiums	Melbourne Cricket Ground (2005–2019, 2022–present) Darwin Cricket Ground (2020) Perth Stadium (2021)
Statistics
Meetings total	21
All-time series (Australian Football League only)	Richmond – 12 wins Essendon – 9 wins
Largest victory	Richmond – 71 points (2 June 2018)

TheDreamtime at the 'G is an annualAustralian rules football match betweenAustralian Football League clubsEssendon andRichmond.

Since the2007 season the match has been held annually on the Saturday night of the AFL's "Indigenous Round", also known as theSir Doug Nicholls Round. The name of the match comes from the Australian Aboriginal term "Dreamtime" and "the 'G", a nickname for theMelbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) where the match usually takes place; it has been played away from the ground on two occasions, when theCOVID-19 pandemic impacted football in Victoria.

The game draws one of the highest crowds of the home-and-away season, with an average crowd of over 70,000 since its inception (with the exception of rain-affected matches), and a record attendance of 85,656 in 2017. The winning club is awarded the "Kevin Sheedy Cup", and the best player on the ground is awarded the "Yiooken Award".

Dreamtime at the 'G was first held in 2005, with the aim being to recognise the contribution of all Indigenous players to the AFL.^[1] It was held duringNAIDOC Week.^[2]

From 2006, the Yiooken Award has been awarded to the player judged best on ground in the match.^[3]

In 2007, following the success of the match in 2005 and 2006, the AFL nominated a specific Indigenous Round (round 9), which has become an annual event in which the Dreamtime at the 'G match takes centre stage. The success of the annual match, which now usually features crowds in excess of 80,000, led to the two clubs agreeing to cement the match's official status for an additional decade in May 2016.^[4]

From 2016, the Indigenous Round was named after Sir Doug Nicholls, the only AFL player to have been knighted and the only Aboriginal person or AFL player to serve as a state governor.^[5] Each year, each player in all 18 clubs wears a specially-commissioned artwork by an Indigenous artist on their guernsey.^[6] In 2019, former Essendon playerMichael Long was honoured during this round.^[7]

In 2020, the match was played atDarwin Cricket Groundl inDarwin, as it was not possible for the match to be played in Melbourne due to the city being locked down during the ongoingCOVID-19 pandemic in Australia.^[8] In 2021, anotherCOVID-19 lockdown in Victoria led to the AFL moving the fixture toOptus Stadium inPerth, which also held theGrand Final that year.^[9]

In 2024, it was announced that the 2025 edition would be held on a Friday night, in order to expand the game's importance and allow theSeven Network to continue to televise the match, as the network will not be televising any Saturday night matches from the2025 AFL season onwards.^[10]

• Round 6, 2006, saw Richmond escape with a two-point victory over Essendon afterJarrad Oakley-Nicholls scored the match-winning behind with minutes remaining in the final quarter.
• Round 9, 2007: With just under five minutes remaining, Richmond had a 12-point lead, which was pulled back by Essendon to level the match at 84-apiece; the score was Richmond 12.12.(84) – Essendon 11.18.(84). Tigers full-forwardMatthew Richardson thought he had kicked the match-winning goal, but a subsequent fifty-metre penalty was awarded after Richardson had pushed his opponent in the back prior to kicking the goal. Essendon kicked the last 1.2.(8) of the match to win the game by eight points and deny Richmond what would have been their first win of the 2007 season.
• Round 13, 2020, was notable due to the unique circumstances under which the game took place as a result of the stage fourCOVID-19 pandemic lockdowns in Melbourne which prevented the match from being played at theMelbourne Cricket Ground. The match was played atDarwin Cricket Ground inDarwin, with Richmond winning by twelve points.Shai Bolton, who designed the guernsey the Richmond players wore in this match, won the Yiooken Award for his best-on-ground performance.^[11]
• Similar to the year before, the Round 12, 2021, match saw a relocation of the match from Melbourne due to a COVID-19 lockdown, this time to Optus Stadium in Perth. Despite losing the match by 39 points, Essendon playerDarcy Parish won the Yiooken Award for his record-breaking performance of 44 disposals. It was the most disposals in one match ever recorded by an Essendon player.^[12]
• Round 10, 2023, was notable for several reasons. Going into the match, Essendon's form, which was strong for the first five games, had diminished, partly due to numerous injuries, and consequently they entered the game with a four-game losing streak despite showing valour in these games. Richmond, on the other hand, had come off two convincing wins in a row, including an upset win againstGeelong, and were comfortable favourites. More tellingly, though, Richmond had won the last 13 games against Essendon, with Essendon's last win against them being in2014.^[13] In a relatively low-scoring affair, the game was close all day, with Richmond leading by three goals in the final quarter. Essendon managed to claw back the lead back by a couple of goals to trail by just 5 points with a few minutes to go. In the final minutes, a tenacious tackle by Essendon'sZach Merrett (whose 39-disposal game coincidentally won the Yiooken Award by a unanimous vote) brought down Richmond starDustin Martin in Richmond's attacking half, an effort that commentatorJonathan Brown called "inspirational";^[14] the tackle was enough to compromise the accuracy of Martin's kick. With less than a minute remaining, Essendon were able to rebound the ball into their forward 50. A centralising snap kick in Essendon's left pocket was marked by Essendon forwardSam Durham at the top of the goal square. With just a handful of seconds to go, Durham composed himself and kicked the match-winning goal to put Essendon a point ahead and seal the game.

The match is associated with the pre-game commemoration events organised by The Long Walk, a charity inspired by Indigenous former Essendon playerMichael Long, who walked halfway from Melbourne toCanberra in 2004 to get the lives ofAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people back on the national agenda. He halted his walk after then Prime MinisterJohn Howard agreed to talk to him.^[15]

On the day of the Dreamtime match, The Long Walk holds a community celebration featuring entertainment and activities as well as community organisation information stalls. Prior to the Dreamtime match, Long and several thousand other participants walk fromFederation Square to theMelbourne Cricket Ground to promotereconciliation. In 2013, over 15,000 participants walked to the MCG. The walk has grown in stature and size, and in 2016 was attended by Prime MinisterMalcolm Turnbull and theLeader of the Opposition,Bill Shorten.^[16]

A curtain raiser match is sometimes held between two Indigenous football teams from around Australia and its territories.

	Year	Rd	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Score	Ground	Crowd	Result/Winner	M	H2H	YA
1	2005	15	Richmond	14.8 (92)	Essendon	9.12 (66)	Melbourne Cricket Ground	49,975	Richmond	26	+1	Not awarded
2	2006	6	Essendon	13.17 (95)	Richmond	13.19 (97)		58,439	Richmond	2	+2	Dean Polo (Ric)
3	2007	9	Richmond	12.12 (84)	Essendon	12.20 (92)		61,837	Essendon	8	+1	James Hird (Ess)
4	2008	9	Essendon	10.12 (72)	Richmond	16.14 (110)		60,333	Richmond	38	+2	Nathan Foley (Ric)
5	2009	9	Richmond	12.13 (85)	Essendon	19.11 (125)		73,625	Essendon	40	+1	Jason Winderlich (Ess)
6	2010	9	Essendon	19.16 (130)	Richmond	14.11 (95)		64,709	Essendon	35		David Hille (Ess)
7	2011	9	Richmond	16.9 (105)	Essendon	13.11 (89)		83,563	Richmond	16	+1	Trent Cotchin (Ric)
8	2012	8	Essendon	19.14 (128)	Richmond	15.19 (109)		80,900	Essendon	19		Brett Deledio (Ric)
9	2013	9	Richmond	9.8 (62)	Essendon	13.13 (91)		84,234	Essendon	29	+1	Jobe Watson (Ess)
10	2014	11	Essendon	15.14 (104)	Richmond	7.12 (54)		74,664	Essendon	50	+2	Brendon Goddard (Ess)
11	2015	9	Richmond	10.12 (72)	Essendon	8.11 (59)		83,804	Richmond	13	+1	Brandon Ellis (Ric)
12	2016	10	Essendon	10.7 (67)	Richmond	16.9 (105)		56,948	Richmond	38		Dustin Martin (Ric)
13	2017	10	Richmond	11.15 (81)	Essendon	10.6 (66)		85,656	Richmond	15	+1	Dustin Martin (Ric)
14	2018	11	Essendon	6.7 (43)	Richmond	17.12 (114)		81,046	Richmond	71	+2	Shane Edwards (Ric)
15	2019	10	Richmond	10.13 (73)	Essendon	6.14 (50)		80,176	Richmond	23	+3	Bachar Houli (Ric)
16	2020	13	Essendon	10.1 (61)	Richmond	10.13 (73)	Darwin Cricket Ground	5,401	Richmond	12	+4	Shai Bolton (Ric)
17	2021	12	Essendon	12.12 (84)	Richmond	19.9 (123)	Perth Stadium	55,656	Richmond	39	+5	Darcy Parish (Ess)
18	2022	10	Richmond	11.14 (80)	Essendon	7.6 (48)	Melbourne Cricket Ground	70,226	Richmond	32	+6	Dion Prestia (Ric)
19	2023	10	Essendon	10.11 (71)	Richmond	10.10 (70)		79,300	Essendon	1	+5	Zach Merrett (Ess)
20	2024	11	Richmond	10.14 (74)	Essendon	12.14 (86)		79,359	Essendon	12	+4	Jordan Ridley (Ess)
21	2025	11	Essendon	11.15 (81)	Richmond	8.10 (58)		76,051	Essendon	23	+3	Nic Martin (Ess)

In 2005, Richmond and Essendon first competed for theKevin Sheedy Cup.^[22] The cup has continued to be awarded to the winner of each Dreamtime at the 'G game.^{[citation needed]}

Sheedy has a strong connection with both Essendon and Richmond, having played 251 games for Richmond, including their1969,1973 and1974 premiership teams. He won the 1976best & fairest award, captained the club in 1978, was named on theirTeam of the Century at left back-pocket and inducted into theRichmond Hall of Fame in 2002. He retired in 1979. He then went on to coach Essendon from 1981 to 2007, amassing 635 games as coach and led the club to premierships in1984,1985,1993 &2000. He was named as coach of the EssendonTeam of the Century. He was a selector for theIndigenous Team of the Century and has championed indigenous football, reconciliation, and education.^[23]

• Indigenous Team of the Century
• Indigenous All-Stars (Australian rules football)
• List of individual match awards in the Australian Football League

• Australian Football League matches
• Australian rules football culture
• Essendon Football Club
• Indigenous Australian sport
• Richmond Football Club
• Sport in Melbourne

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