The Geelong Football Club Launches 2025 First Nations Guernsey

Geelong Cats proudly shares the 2025 First Nations Guernsey which the Cats will wear during Sir Doug Nicholls Round, designed by Worrora, Oomiday and Nyul Nyul artist Meeza Humphries, with contributions from her siblings Lawson, Joshua and Stephanie, and input from parents Jodi and Ross.

It is a dream come true for Meeza, who said it will be a special moment to her, to see her brother Lawson and the Cats run out in it for Sir Doug Nicholls Round.

“When I was a kid, that was always my goal, to design a guernsey for the AFL Indigenous Round, so I’m really proud that not only I got to do it, but I get to do it with Lawson and represent our whole family,” Meeza said.

“I’m so proud that I’ve been able to do this, given the opportunity from Geelong to live out that dream, so I think if I see it, not only just for me, running out, but all the family, all the family up in Broome seeing it on the TV, their mob and their symbols, something that they’re familiar with, the representation for Aboriginal people and our family, I think that will be amazing.”

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The guernsey, titled ‘Saltwater Stories’, depicts a typical day in the West Kimberleys, where Meeza and Lawson are traditionally from, and is deeply connected with their family’s story and Lawson’s journey to the AFL.

The guernsey incorporates colours that are representative of the area, including the turquoise blue of the water throughout the coast, and bears a snake in the colour of the iconic pindan dirt. Animals also hold a significant importance in the design, and have been drawn traditionally by Meeza, depicting the connection they have with water.

The Hoops have been filled in by each of the siblings in the family, going in age order, with eldest sister Stephanie designing the top hoop (representing the hills that are abundant in the north-west and the importance they place in ecosystems), brother Joshua the second hoop (using footprints to symbolise the importance of Elders in communities and how others follow in their footsteps), brother Lawson the third hoop (representing the movement and flow of life during the wet season) and sister Meeza the fourth (representing the movement of water through water holes and the ocean).

The snake, known as the family’s ‘Oongood’, is considered the creator of the land, water and animals in the area their family is from, and has been used to represent Lawson’s life and all the places that have been significant for him. It starts from the tail, going through a circle that represents the West Kimberleys, in particular Broome and Beagle Bay, then goes down to Wickham, where Lawson spent much of his youth and played junior football. It then travels down to Perth, where he lived for six years and developed significant life experiences, before it goes through to Albany, which is where Lawson’s father’s side of the family is from, then around the back past the boab tree, which is symbolic of the small town of Derby in the Kimberleys where Lawson was born and where his mum still lives. The snake ends on the right side of the guernsey at the head, going through Geelong, the place where Lawson is able to live his dream as an AFL player.

Lawson said it was important to acknowledge their family.

“We felt it was a really good way to implement different symbols and different parts of the guernsey and colours that are symbolic of my family and both close and distant family, which is just as important for us as our close family,” Lawson said.

“(It was) super important to respect that and acknowledge our family and represent ourselves on the biggest stage, the AFL.

“(We’re) really grateful for the opportunity from the Cats, it’s a privilege to be able to do it and to represent our family the way we’ve been able to do it. We’re super excited to be able to show everybody and to play in it for a couple of weeks.”

The guernsey will be worn during the AFL, VFL and VFLW Sir Doug Nicholls Rounds, as well as during the AFLW Indigenous Round later this year.

Both the home and clash versions of Geelong’s 2025 Sir Doug Nicholls Round guernsey are both available to purchase through The Cats Shop today!

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