Dreamtime guernsey history
In 2011, Richmond became the first club in the AFL to have a specially-designed guernsey for the competition’s showpiece game of Indigenous Round, Dreamtime at the ‘G. Below is a summary of each season's guernsey...
2024 - Mens
Richmond's 2024 Dreamtime guernsey is designed by Maurice Rioli Jnr and his mother, Alberta Kerinauia.
The design speaks of the deep connection between the Rioli family and the Richmond Football Club.
The design features two family totems - the turtle (father) and the crocodile (mother).
The spears featured on the back of the jumper depict those used for hunting or battle in the Tiwi Islands. The spears have been used to provide food and provide for families; they represent Maurice’s ancestors going into battle to defend their family.
READ MORE WATCH NOW2023 - Womens
Richmond's 2023 AFLW Dreamtime guernsey was designed by the Club’s first-ever Indigenous AFLW player, Larrakia, Iwaidja Murun woman Stephanie Williams.
The famous yellow sash on the black design was illustrated with weaving by Williams’ mother, Larrakia artist Lorraine Williams - who has had her weaving technique passed down through generations.
A yam stick, which women commonly use in Indigenous culture, is also depicted on the guernsey and handprints placed with a spray technique from Williams’ grandfather’s country in Western Arnhem Land.
The handprints are that of Williams as the first Richmond Indigenous AFLW player and captain, Katie Brennan, who was the Club’s inaugural signing in 2019.
READ MORE WATCH NOW2023 - Mens
Richmond's 2023 Dreamtime at the 'G jumper is designed by assistant coach Xavier Clarke and his family.
Clarke, a proud and respected Larrakia and Amrreamo/Marritjavin man, worked with the Club's official apparel partner PUMA on the predominantly yellow design, Richmond's 13th Dreamtime jumper.
The artwork on the sash is from an original painting from Xavier’s uncle Timothy Dumoo, it depicts a Wangka (dance) from Clarke's people, the Marri Ammu Marri Tjevin clan of the Moyle River floodplains.
The Wangka tells the story of Elders calling out to their ancestors to protect and guide people while on Country. It represents looking after each other and looking after family.
READ MORE WATCH NOW2022 - Womens - Season 7
Richmond wore its Season 7 AFLW Indigenous Round jumper against Hawthorn at the Swinburne Centre in the inaugural AFLW Dreamtime match in Round 4.
Indigenous artist Josie Atkinson (Gumbaynggirr) created the predominately black design following consultation with Gabby Seymour, Maddy Brancatisano, and Ellie McKenzie.
Signifying a turning point for the Club, the colour palette in the sash only uses colours that have never appeared in a Richmond Indigenous jumper.
The turning point refers to the firsts that Season 7 brings for Richmond’s AFLW team, including the Club’s inaugural Indigenous AFLW player Steph Williams and the AFLW Dreamtime match.
READ MORE WATCH NOW2022 - Mens
Marlion Pickett together with his partner Jessica Nannup have designed Richmond’s 2022 Dreamtime guernsey, to be worn against Essendon for the return of Dreamtime at the 'G.
The story on the PUMA-made jumper represents Marlion, Jessica and their young family moving from Perth to Melbourne for the start of their Richmond journey and pays tribute to each Indigenous player at the Club.
Marlion’s family totem, The Kaarak, a red-tailed black cockatoo is represented as flying on the design, to signify the families move across Australia.
READ MORE WATCH NOW2022 - Womens
Budding young Indigenous artist from Mildura and Korin Gamadji Institute alumnus, Chantelle Mitchell designed the jumper in consultation with Monique Conti and Sarah D'Arcy.
Chantelle drew inspiration from her culture and own experiences playing with the Bendigo Pioneers in the NAB League when creating her additions to the design.
These are featured through the Barkindji patterns, symbolising women’s strength adjacent to the sash and on the jumper's back.
READ MORE WATCH NOW2021 - Mens
Designed by the Club’s Korin Gamadji Institute Program Lead, Michelle Kerrin (Arrernte/Luritja) in conjunction with Shane Edwards (Arrernte) and Jack Riewoldt, the jumper tells the players’ story since arriving at Richmond together in November 2006.
The famous yellow sash has been transformed into a gum leaf, symbolising a pre-game ritual Riewoldt picked up in his early Dreamtime games where he would place the leaf handed to him by Wurundjeri Elder Aunty Joy Murphy into his sock.
The leaf sash is split into two sides, with the white side representing Jack’s story throughout his time at the Club and his learnings of Indigenous communities.
READ MORE2021 - Womens
Richmond launched its first AFLW Indigenous-designed guernsey in 2021, designed by Michelle Kerrin, an employee of the Club’s Korin Gamadji Institute as the KGI celebrated it's 10-year anniversary.
Kerrin, a proud Arrernte and Lurija woman from the Northern Territory, reflected on the milestone and her own journey as an Indigenous woman throughout the jumper's design.
The symbols inside the traditional yellow sash of the jumper represent connection, country, and people living in Indigenous communities.
An Indigenous symbol for “woman” is also placed on the guernsey, outside of the sash and close to the heart.
Richmond wore the jumper during their historic first AFLW victory over Geelong as part of the competition’s inaugural Indigenous Round.
READ MORE2020
Shai Bolton, a proud Noongar man from Western Australia, collaborated with his mother, Kylie Pickett, and nan, Beverley Pickett to create the artwork, and nan, Lynley Pickett to tell the story of the design for Richmond's 2020 Dreamtime guernsey.
Dreaming, connection, gathering, strength and determination are the key themes Bolton represents in his guernsey design.
Richmond wore the guernsey in the 2020 Dreamtime in Darwin match, the first Dreamtime match played away from the MCG due to the pandemic.
READ MORE2019
The Rioli family’s rich history with the Richmond Football Club was etched even deeper when the Tigers ran out for Dreamtime at the ‘G in 2019.
The famous Yellow and Black jumper worn for the match represented the Rioli family, the Tiwi Island community, and Daniel’s Tiwi upbringing.
The guernsey which was designed by Daniel Rioli and his parents, was the ninth Dreamtime guernsey worn by the Club in the 15th edition of Dreamtime at the ‘G.
READ MORE2018
Richmond's 2018 Dreamtime guernsey was designed by artist, Robert Young, a Gunnai and Waradjurie man.
The design represents strength and connectedness with the yellow background symbolising the ground carvings of borra grounds, which are the grounds of initiation.
A spear runs across the front of the jumper where the ‘sash’ usually sits, and also a shield on the back of the jumper..
READ MORE2017
Richmond’s seventh Dreamtime guernsey was a bold and vibrant fusion of traditional Aboriginal patterns.
The 2017 guernsey was designed by late Aboriginal artist, Yorta Yorta man, Josh Muir.
The design was inspired by Richmond pair Daniel Rioli and Nathan Drummond and captured the story of peace, love and unity, as well as paying tribute to the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Referendum.
READ MORE2016
Richmond's 2016 Dreamtime guernsey highlighted the Club’s past, present, and future players.
The guernsey was designed by 17-year-old Patricia McKean, a Kirrae Whurrong woman from Warrnambool, who had been connected with the Club’s centre for Indigenous youth, the Korin Gamadji Institute, for the previous three years.
The story of the guernsey aligned with Reconciliation Australia’s theme for 2016 'Our history, our story, our future', and was the club's first yellow clash Dreamtime guernsey
READ MORE2015
Designed by 14-year-old artist Derek Summerfield, Richmond's 2015 Dreamtime guernsey represented families who have been taken away or lost over the years, and finding their way back.
The circles represent communities, or families, and the little dots are the connections between families and communities.
Summerfield, a distant cousin of Shane Edwards, comes from the Northern Territory community of Titjikala.
The Club again wore the 2015 Dreamtime guernsey in a famous Friday night win over reigning premier Hawthorn at the MCG in Round 18, in support of Adam Goodes and the Indigenous community more broadly.
READ MORE2014
Gippsland artist, Mick Harding of the Taungwurrung people, designed Richmond's Dreamtime guernsey for 2014.
Harding, a sculptor and creator of wooden artefacts, drew inspiration for his artwork from the stories and experiences of the elders in his community and the natural landscapes.
In his design, Harding used the competition’s theme of ‘Recognise’ to acknowledge Indigenous Australians as the first people of this country, highlighting their strength and resilience throughout the journey of two thousand plus generations, and believing that recognition of his people is the first step towards Reconciliation.
The shield in his design represents both a protective and combative icon, and also symbolises the fight of the men and women of generations past.
READ MORE2013
Nathan Patterson, an Indigenous artist from Torquay, Victoria, was selected as the winner of the Club’s 2013 Dreamtime guernsey competition.
Patterson drew on inspiration of local Indigenous culture, representing the Kulin Nation (Indigenous communities of the Melbourne area), the Wathaurong, Dja Dja Wurrung, Boon Wurrung, Taungerong and Woi Wurrung clans in his design, as well as the Yarra River.
The five boomerangs in the design symbolise the five clans, with spears representing tribal law and boundaries.
The cross hatching beneath each boomerang represents the respective clans’ traditional hunting grounds and land, and the black, snake-like line running down the centre of the sash, is ‘Birrarung’, the Yarra River.
READ MORE2012
Richmond's 2012 Dreamtime guernsey design was created by Stuart Harradine, an independent Wotjobaluk man of the Wimmera in Western Victoria.
The design was based on the traditional Australian Indigenous linear symbolism, representing topographic features, dreaming pathways, spiritual energies in the landscape, and known boundaries between tribes.
The sharp angles are typically masculine and evoke the hardness and energy of the traditional Aboriginal warrior, making this design worthy of Richmond’s ‘football warriors’ of the era.
READ MORE2011
Richmond became the first club to wear specially-themed Indigenous guernseys for Dreamtime at the 'G in 2011.
The original guernsey design was created by Jirra Lulla Harvey, a Yorta Yorta/Wiradjuri woman who was born and raised in Melbourne, on the land of the Kulin Nation.
Harvey’s design encapsulates iconic Victorian landmarks, mixed with Indigenous football themes.
READ MORE