Growing up, Callum Ah Chee would watch from the sidelines as Indigenous AFL stars lit up the field, dreaming of one day emulating their feats.

Now, during Sir Doug Nicholls Round, those memories come flooding back for the Kuwarna forward, along with a deeper appreciation for the pathway those players helped create.

“Growing up, Andrew McLeod was my favourite Indigenous player, I idolised him when I was little as a Crows fan,” Ah Chee said.

“Also Buddy Franklin and Cyrill Rioli when I was coming through my teens – they were superstars of the game.

“Then guys like Eddie Betts and Adam Goodes who have just done a lot – they’re obviously superstars – but they’ve done so much off-field as well in making it a safe place for Indigenous players.

“Hopefully (this round) allows people to appreciate the contribution that Indigenous players bring to the game. We’ve got some really exciting Indigenous players who bring a different side to the game, like Kozzie Pickett and Wayne (Milera) and Izak Rankine, the list goes on.”

Ah Chee, who is a proud Nyoongar Yawaru Nyikina Palyku man, is celebrating his first Sir Doug Nicholls Round with Kuwarna, after crossing over to his childhood club from Brisbane during the 2025 pre-season draft.

The 28-year-old said it was an honour to be involved in the round which was an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the contribution of First Nations people.

“It’s a super important round for me to celebrate my culture and also all the past Indigenous players who have paved the way for the Indigenous players of today and making it a safe place for us to be ourselves,” Ah Chee said.

“They went through a lot to make it the way it is today, so just to celebrate their contribution to the game, but also to bring Indigenous culture to the forefront, we still face a lot of issues today, so it’s putting that in the spotlight as well and celebrating our people.”

Kuwarna commemorates the special round each year with a First Nations guernsey, designed by local artists and/or past/current Indigenous players.

Defender Wayne Milera designed this year’s, which details a deeply personal reflection of his story, brought to life through symbols that trace both his football beginnings and cultural identity.

Ah Chee, who lined up in 124 games for the Lions, designed their 2025 Indigenous guernsey, and said he understood  just how much effort was poured into creating the jumper.

“Wayne has done an awesome job with it, I love our guernsey design, just listening to him speak about it shows how passionate he is about it,” Ah Chee said.

“That’s another special thing about Indigenous Round, all the artwork that the players and artists create with the guernseys. I love that moment of unleashing the guernseys.

“There’s been a lot of (Sir Doug Nicholls Round) memories for me, but I think last year is my favourite. 

“My family got to design the First Nations guernsey for Brisbane and to have that forever etched in history for the Club is pretty amazing. You realise how much work goes into it, it’s not just something that you come up with overnight, it’s months and months of work.”