ONE was a Bomber; the other is a Swan. One retired at the end of 2006; the other is still playing. One was born at the top of Australia in the Tiwi Islands; the other comes from down south in suburban Adelaide.

Despite the differences between Dean Rioli and Michael O’Loughlin, their similarities are more significant. Both indigenous men have treated fans to exemplary foot skills, explosive bursts of power play, and kicked extraordinary goals.

More importantly, both men are trying to make a difference for indigenous Australians.

Dean Rioli played 100 games for Essendon before retiring at the end of 2006. Now he has launched the Rioli Fund for Aboriginal Health, linking with the Menzies School of Health Research in Darwin.

Rioli is using his football-forged links to enlist business people and leading philanthropists to raise money for research into indigenous child health. His legendary former coach Kevin Sheedy is the fund’s ambassador.

“I am trying to use all the contacts I’ve made through football to make this happen,” Rioli said. “I had the idea when I was playing but didn’t know how to do it, then after meeting up with the Menzies people I knew that was the way to go.

“They are not just a research body, they also look for solutions and educate the Aboriginal community about preventing diseases. They use a lot of visual education tools which work well with the kids they are targeting.”

A forthcoming fundraiser is a cultural weekend in the Top End from June 26 to 29, tying in with the Western Bulldogs-Port Adelaide Darwin game. The schedule for this amazing experience – including feeding the jumping crocodiles in the Adelaide River, a trip to the Tiwi Islands and a dinner hosted by Sheedy – is on the Rioli Fund website.

“I think it will be a life-changing experience for a lot of people who go on this trip,” Rioli predicts. “You can hear about things, but until you visit a remote community and see things for yourself it is hard to fully understand.”

The ex-Bomber’s regular job is mentoring young indigenous people entering the construction industry.

He believes there are two reasons indigenous footballers get involved with community initiatives: firstly, because most of them come from tight-knit communities themselves; and secondly, because they witness the same themes over and over whenever they encounter indigenous young people and communities through footy clinics and visits.

Michael O’Loughlin is in his 14th season with Sydney. He has played more finals matches than any other Swan, twice been an All-Australian and is behind only the immortal Bob Pratt on the club goalkicking list.

O’Loughlin has been on the board of directors for the National Aboriginal Sporting Chance Academy (NASCA) for many years. He also works with the Sporting Chance Academy in Alexandra Park, Sydney.

“David Liddiard (NASCA founder) asked me and Troy Cook for a bit of help when NASCA first started about 10 years ago,” O’Loughlin says. “We did some clinics for him, met some kids. Then he asked me to join the board and I’ve been part of it ever since.

“Away from footy, this is something I love to do. I come from a big family in Adelaide, we didn’t have too much but we loved our sport and we were encouraged to do a bit to help (other people) whenever we could. I had a lot of help growing up, people pushing me towards an AFL career. With our people, sport is such a huge influence in our lives.”

Since 1997 NASCA has run Athletes as Role Models Tours (ARMTours) where leading sportspeople visit remote communities in the Northern Territory.

Many community leaders report higher school attendance rates and less destructive and dangerous behaviour among youth after ARMTour visits. O’Loughlin, Leroy Jetta and Nathan Lovett-Murray have all participated in ARMTours.

Recently, children from the remote NT community Papunya travelled to Sydney as part of their reward for school attendance.

They had been corresponding with O’Loughlin for several years via NASCA. (It operates a website called My Dreaming where remote indigenous children and role models can communicate with each other. For example, Lovett-Murray maintains email contact with students in Mutitjulu, a community near the base of Uluru.)

O’Loughlin met the Papunya students and gave them a tour of the Swans’ facilities at the SCG.

“The Papunya kids didn’t stop grinning for the whole time they were in Sydney,” the Sydney star says. “It was just a great day. They had never been to an AFL ground before, they were able to see the players up close, tour around the clubrooms.

“Obviously that is something that gives you enjoyment, when you see kids like that having such a great time.”

For more information go to www.rioli.org.au or www.nasca.com.au.

Round nine is the AFL’s Indigenous Round, highlighting the relationship between the game and Indigenous Australia. This year’s round features a number of events, culminating in the Long Walk and the annual Dreamtime at the 'G game between Essendon and Richmond on Saturday night. Click here for full coverage.