Adam Goodes says he’s sorry if his war cry dance offended Carlton AFL supporters but critics of his celebration should take a chill pill.
The 35-year-old indigenous icon produced the dance after kicking a goal in the second quarter of Sydney’s 60-point win over Carlton at the SCG on Friday night.
The celebration provoked mixed reaction after it was performed in front of Carlton fans, some who clearly took umbrage.
The Sydney Morning Herald on Saturday reported Goodes’ Wikipedia page was vandalised with monkey pictures, which were later removed.
Goodes said it would have been silly to do the dance, which he learnt from the under 16 Boomerangs indigenous development team, in front of the Swans faithful as it was a war cry dance.
He said his teammates and the Carlton players loved the dance, which he had hoped to perform for the Indigenous All Stars team but hadn’t been able to for a variety of reasons.
He felt the indigenous round was the appropriate time to unveil it.
“The indigenous All Stars game might not even happen again, so to do that war cry (last night), that might be my only opportunity,” Goodes said on Saturday.
“I was just grateful to be able to do it and for the right people to embrace it for what it was.
“And everybody else take a chill pill, understand what I was doing.
“If there was Carlton supporters offended by it, I’m sorry but it’s a war cry, it’s a battle.
Goodes said had he kicked his first goal at the other end, he had a dance planned representing a swan, while indigenous teammate Lewis Jetta would also have done one had he kicked a goal.
“It was all about representing our people, our passion, and dance is a big way we do that.
“There was nothing untowards to the Carlton supporters. It was actually something for them to stand up and go `cool, we acknowledge you, bring it on’.”
Media personality and Collingwood president Eddie McGuire will reportedly contact Goodes to clarify comments he made on Fox Footy on Friday about the dance.
“To say that I was violently against it or thought it was violent or anything else, is nonsense … that’s just a complete fabrication,” McGuire said on Melbourne radio station SEN on Saturday.
Goodes said he felt sorry for McGuire if he had been offended.
He hoped indigenous players from other clubs also planning to do something over the weekend would not be put off.
“If telling our people out there that you can’t represent your culture or where you come from in a round that is specifically about acknowledging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, what we are saying?” Goodes said.
Goodes was again booed by some fans on Saturday, less than a week after it happened at the MCG.
“The booing occurs for a wide range of reasons but I’ve got no doubt part of it would be some racist elements,” Swans’ CEO Andrew Ireland told Melbourne’s 3AW.
“If another indigenous player had done what Adam did, I suspect it wouldn’t have been as controversial as it is.”
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