The Geelong Cats and Sydney Swans will enter Simonds Stadium as one on Saturday night in a show of respect and unity.
The clubs will run through a joint banner as part of a range of activity following the recent issues surrounding the treatment of Adam Goodes.
“Respect and unity are two of our club’s core values, and we have found through the years that the Swans share a similar outlook to our club,” Geelong CEO Brian Cook said.
“We believe the teams coming together before the game in this way is a clear message that while we compete during the game, there is and should always be great respect shown within that contest. We love the fact that supporters are passionate, but we do not want this to cross the line.
“All players should feel comfortable that they are being treated fairly and we have great faith that our supporters will be doing all they can to help our team, but that doesn’t include the reaction we have seen towards Adam in recent weeks.
“We have undertaken a collaborative approach to ensure everyone involved is comfortable with what is being undertaken. Our discussions have included the Swans, the AFL, AFLPA and Adam Goodes’ management.”
Other activities will include:
- Welcome to country will be performed live on the field ahead of the game. This is usually undertaken via a video on the scoreboard
- Messaging on the big screen and LED signage centred around respect, unity and fairness
- Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda from the Human Rights Commission will be a guest of the clubThe club encourages all supporters to utilise the anti-social behaviour text line should they see anti-social and unacceptable behaviour.
