Ahead of the Round 11 Sir Doug Nicholls Round clash, North Melbourne and St Kilda will take part in a cultural gift exchange.

North’s gift depicts the Taungwurrung story of the kangaroo and the wombat, and was produced by artist Mick Harding.

Harding explained the story to North Media. 

“The kangaroo and the wombat we really good friends and did everything together, then there was a terrible storm brewing. The wombat went back into his nice, warm burrow while the kangaroo was freezing outside,” Harding told North Media.

“He asked his mate the wombat if he could come in and keep warm, but the wombat said no. They were filthy with one another. The storm came and while the wombat was nice and warm in his burrow next to his fire, the kangaroo was cold and wet.

“When the wombat came out of his burrow the kangaroo was prepared and whacked him on his tail with a bundi, a fighting stick, and cut his tail off as payback. As he was bounding away the wombat grabbed a spear and threw it. It landed in the bottom of the kangaroo’s back and that became his tail.

“That’s why wombats have no tail and kangaroos have a tail. They’re not quite the same friends today, but they learnt what it was about to have friendship.”

Harding has been involved in multiple Sir Doug Nicholls Round celebrations before, having previously designed indigenous guernseys for the likes of Richmond and Collingwood.

He says putting the history of indigenous culture at centre stage is a brilliant initiative by the AFL.

“I find it to be a really nice recognition of ‘marngrook’, the game we played prior to people coming to this country which I think is part and parcel of what we call Australian rules today,” Harding said.

“I dare say most of the language groups in Victoria have a word for that game.

“It’s a nice day and a celebration day, as well as the idea of reconciliation and all those things it’s supposed to represent.”