NARRM’S 2026 Indigenous guernsey will make its debut in the AFLW competition this Sunday, as the league celebrates the first weekend of Indigenous Round.
The club’s AFLW side will pull on the jumper for the first time this year when they face Brisbane at Casey Fields.
The 2026 guernsey is a celebration of the club’s connection to the small Northern Territory town of Nyirripi, which is based 440kms out of Alice Springs.
Sitting on the land of the Warlpiri People, the community is home to the Nyirripi Demons with the walls all around town covered in red and blue.
This year’s guernsey has been designed by Vanetta Nampijinpa Hudson, a Nyirripi artist whose works tell the stories passed down by her father and his father before him for millennia.
Vanetta grew up in Nyirripi, while also attending Worawa Aboriginal College in Victoria, a school that holds a close connection the club’s AFLW program.
Last year, a select number of players collaborated with the students of Worawa in a new leadership initiative, implemented by club partner, the Jim Stynes Foundation.
It adds a special layer to the existing strong relationship that the Dees have with the community.
Narrm’s first ever Indigenous guernsey in 2014 was designed by Ursula Napangardi Hudson, Vanetta’s grandmother.
Since then, Narrm has kept this connection as a priority of its partnership with the Northern Territory, visiting Nyirripi on various occasions to share in their love of football and the Demons.
The guernsey conception started at the beginning of 2025 when Ricky Mentha Jnr, Jack Viney, Jake Lever and Kate Hore all visited the town to chat with community leaders and Traditional Owners.
Twelve months on, with designs finalised and the guernsey ready to share, Saraid Taylor, Kysaiah and Latrelle Pickett joined Mentha Jnr. in visiting the community to reveal the final jumper to Vanetta, in what was a special moment for her and her family.
Reflecting on her time in Nyirripi, Hore said she was grateful to be welcomed so warmly into the community.
"To have the opportunity to visit Nyirripi was incredible. It’s a very special place with so many amazing people so I feel very fortunate to have been able to experience a day on Warlpiri Country," Hore said.
"The strong connection and close relationships we have built with the people of Nyirripi was so evident and it was so cool seeing Ricky amongst some of his family. It was such a joy being around so many smiling faces and kicking the footy on the red dirt was something else.
"It’s a special part of being an AFLW player and being involved in both the Melbourne Football Club and Jim Stynes Foundation. Having the opportunity to connect with Indigenous communities, celebrate culture and learn together is something I don’t take for granted and am extremely grateful for."
Taylor also expressed her gratitude for the generosity of the Nyirripi people.
“I think of my time in Nyirripi as a day of pure joy: the rain and the laughter and the beautiful land and a lot of love,” Taylor said.
“On arrival, I was struck by the immediate feeling of family, and the depth of generosity and connection. I feel very privileged to have been so included, and gifted access to language and culture; I made memories I’ll cherish.
“The opportunity to visit Warlpiri land is not one I take for granted. I feel lucky and proud to belong to a football club who recognises the importance of Indigenous cultures to this country’s identity, and uses its position to connect with, and invest in, community.”
The club will once again rebrand to Narrm Football Club for the duration of AFLW Indigenous Round, opting to take on the traditional Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung word for Melbourne and its surrounds.
