Essendon have honoured indigenous hero Michael Long with a statue outside the AFL club's headquarters.
The first statue at the club's Tullamarine base features Long holding a walking stick and wearing the Essendon red sash, with No.13 on his back.
The stick honours The Long Walk, when he went by foot from Melbourne to Canberra's Parliament House in 2004 to publicise indigenous issues.
He also was pivotal in changing attitudes to racism in the AFL.
In 1995, Long was playing for Essendon in the first Anzac Day game when Collingwood ruckman Damian Monkhorst racially abused him.
Long publicly called him out, Monkhorst apologised and it led directly to far-reaching changes within the game.
Long is one of the most popular past players at Essendon.
He won the 1993 Norm Smith Medal and his scorching run in the grand final that ended in a goal is an iconic AFL moment.
Long played 190 games and was a member of the Bombers' '93 and 2000 premiership teams.
"Without my football career, I wouldn't have had a platform to drive change and establish The Long Walk charity," Long said.
Long has been in ill health this year, but was at the club on Tuesday for the statue unveiling.
