Geoff Sloane, a long-time Canberra player and coach, slammed the game for being run by people who made Aborigines and others feel they were not part of the sport. You can see the talent that we showcased today. We've got a lot more than that. Sloane said there were few first class facilities available to indigenous youth and there was also a class barrier to be broken down.
Cricket is a more elitist sort of sport.
You'll find that people who try to break into that culture were subjugated to lesser people within the cricket hierarchy. People get entrenched within cricket. They think that they own the clubs. If you're not a local or a brother or cousin within that cycle, they make you feel you're not part of that process. The success of the day, with a sprinkling of Aboriginal and other celebrities taking part and Prime Minister John Howard's promise it would become an annual event, was highlighted by the efforts of the Dann brothers from Perth.