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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Sport
Patrick Skene

‘It’s not just fun for us’: Redfern All Blacks commemorate 80 years of rugby league and Indigenous activism

The Redfern All Blacks A-Reserve team ahead of their grand final on Sunday.
The Redfern All Blacks A-Reserve team warm-up ahead of their grand final on Sunday. Photograph: Jessica Hromas/The Guardian

On Sunday, an overcast, cool spring day, Redfern Oval in Sydney represented a time capsule for working class inner-city rugby league. Classic Australian rock blared on the speakers, entry to the ground was a mere $2 and it was cash-only for the big line of patrons waiting for the sausage sizzle.

The Redfern All Blacks A-Reserve team has reached the 2024 South Sydney District Rugby League grand final – in the same year that Australia’s oldest Indigenous rugby league club is celebrating its 80th anniversary, commemorating its official entry into the South Sydney Rugby League competition in 1944.

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