As a general rule Kickoff takes only a passing interest in the other codes but we did recently catch Daniel Gordon's doco 'The Australia Dream'.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It's a sobering, but timely, look at the way Sydney Swans star Adam Goodes was run out of the AFL by redneck fans and their enablers.
We also watched 'The Final Quarter' that was released last year, a documentary that looked at the same saga exclusively through archival footage.
The latter fact proved powerful, letting what was said, broadcast and written at the time stand on its own, letting time become the chief scrutineer.
The actions of the mob don't stand-up well. It shows the episode in our sporting history for what it was - shameful.
What Kickoff did feel at the time of watching the film was relief. Thank God our game didn't have the same issue with race. Ours is a game that reveres our Indigenous heroes.
It was a source of pride. What's become concerning over this recent preseason is our game looks like it could be edging towards a similar saga.
It's been an issue simmering along since Indigenous players chose not to sing the national anthem during last year's State of Origin series. In truth they never had, they just answered honestly when asked about it.
As the highest profile Indigenous player in the game, Latrell Mitchell ended up front and centre of it, eventually calling out racist trolls who abused him online.
A well-publicised contract saga followed after a messy split with the Roosters, with Mitchell - and more pointedly his management - copping his fair share of criticism.
Your columnist was among those critical of how his team handled it. A lot of it was warranted. Mitchell had three different managers speaking to several clubs with the bidding war developing into a circus before finally landing with Matt Rose and South Sydney.
The drama appeared to be at an end. As far as contracts go, it was, but the criticism's continued and it's taken on a far more sinister tone, particularly in the lead-up to the Indigenous All-Stars game.
The anthem debate reared it's head again. Rednecks boldly declared online that they 'wouldn't be watching' due to the fact the anthem would not be played. (By their logic we can only assume they'll boycott every other regular season NRL game outside of Anzac Day as well).
The Indigenous and Maori war dances that preceded the match bought and sold either anthem, while Josh Addo-Carr's tribute to Nicky Winmar was equally stirring.
It was decried as "divisive" or "confrontational" by some, ironically many of those who also suggested Mitchell should merely develop a "thicker skin" in the face of racist abuse.
That same brigade were more recently 'triggered' by the NRL's new ad - a reboot of Simply the Best - deemed by some as being "politicised", seemingly due to Mitchell's brief appearance draped in the Indigenous flag.
Images of a kiss between female Origin stars Karina Brown and Vanessa Foliaki and Macklemore's grand final appearance two years ago feature even more briefly, but it still poked the mentally frail.
It's apparently an affront to the 'true fans' (largely self-described) who claim some sort of ownership of the game and its identity. In the political sphere they're dubbed 'the quiet Australians'. Funny, because they never seem to shut the F up.
It's 30 years since Tina Turner and 'The Best' became the league's spiritual theme song. A lot's changed in that time.
Rugby league, and its fans, are a much broader church, something the ad recognises and celebrates - even if it raises the hackles of those still pining for days of KB Lager and Winnie reds.
One might even find the outrage of the triggered types humorous if there weren't much broader - and scarier - implications when it comes to Mitchell and the game's indigenous players.
In the beginning, the booing of Goodes was put down to a number of factors - he supposedly staged for free kicks, all fans boo the best players on rival teams et cetera.
It wasn't all about race in the beginning, but it was a factor. When people pointed out it was a factor it got worse, not better. It became more and more about race until it was about nothing else.
It's what rugby league risks seeing if dialogue continues unchecked.
There's every chance Mitchell could initially struggle with the transition to fullback. It's the most demanding position on the field, he hasn't had a full preseason to prepare.
Given the way some have already delighted in some of the early teething issues in the All-Stars and Charity Shield games, it's a real concern. Criticism will come, and people will similarly deny race is a factor.
If it's allowed to fester, if it's enabled in the same way, if it's allowed to continue unacknowledged as it did in the Goodes episode, rugby league risks it's own shameful chapter.
When we first started writing this column it praised the NRL for its efforts, particularly in meeting with the game's leading Indigenous players to try and understand their stance on the anthem.
Unfortunately, the NRL's capitulation on the new ad shows the same lack of fortitude as AFL HQ did on Goodes - something chief executive Gillon McLachlan ultimately had to apologise for last year.
We can only hope it doesn't get that far, and there's cause for optimism. You only need to look at the aftermath to last week's Charity Shield.
Mitchell, as he always is, was mobbed by the kids. Despite the louder claims made to the title by the triggered brigade, those kids are the real 'true fans'.
Their fandom's free of the agendas and the prejudices the rest of us inevitably pick up along the way. They certainly don't find Mitchell draped in an Indigenous flag cause for outrage.
We've seen the worst play out in the AFL. Let's hope our game walks a different path and that such attitudes go the way of KB Lager and Winfield reds - part of the game's past, but not its future.