Alipate Carlile would have no problem filling David Rodan’s shoes in a literal sense.

But when it comes to replacing Rodan as South Australia’s AFL Multicultural Ambassador, the Port Adelaide defender recognises it will be a difficult task to replace his Fijian counterpart.

Set to spend one day a week working with SANFL Inclusive Programs Manager Peter Cates while also supporting the programs of Power Community Ltd. (Port Adelaide’s community arm), Carlile was quick to pick the brains of Rodan, who has moved to Victoria to play with Melbourne this season.    

‘’He (Rodan) said to embrace it as best as you can and to get to know all of the different cultures as it will be a big life lesson,’’ said Carlile, who has played 111 AFL games for the Power.

‘’It’s a big honour, especially after the good job that D-Rod has done in the past couple of years with it. I really want to help out as best as I can and to get everyone’s input, from all of the communities, would be great.

‘’The stats show Australia is becoming more and more multicultural, so for the AFL to move forward we need to embrace it, we need to put some steps in place so we’re prepared for the future.’’

Also joining SANFL Inclusive Programs trainee Emmanuel Irra, Carlile plans to eventually have a designated Multicultural Ambassador at every SANFL club.

‘’Emmanuel’s a really great kid and is really easy to work with,’’ said Carlile, who is aligned to the same SANFL club, South Adelaide, as Irra.

‘’He’s a great role model for the kids looking to get into the AFL, in terms of where you can come from (Uganda) and what you can achieve in your life.

‘’The SANFL is playing a massive role in getting its Multicultural Programs off the ground and they’ve got their Multicultural Round the same as the AFL which is a really big step.

‘’The next step we’re looking to take is having a Multicultural Ambassador in each of the (SANFL) clubs, that could really help guys out with language or cultural barriers they may face.’’  

Carlile is eager to harness the SANFL’s proactive approach through its Inclusive Programs, which resulted in the League being recognised at the Governor’s Multicultural Awards, at Government House, this week.

The SANFL won the ‘Community Sector - organisation’ category for ‘’a not-for-profit community organisation or team within an organisation that has worked to promote multiculturalism and community harmony.’’

While Irra’s presence with the Panthers is evidence of the League’s commitment to multiculturalism, Carlile has played a role in developing another torchbearer in the Magpies’ Aseri Raikiwasa.

Like Carlile, Raikiwasa is also a key defender of Fijian descent and has even been tagged with the same nickname – Bobby – as his mentor.

‘’I’ve really enjoyed helping him out with his footy and also getting him set up off the field,’’ Carlile said of his relationship with Raikiwasa.

‘’We’ve watched a lot of vision together (of Raikiwasa’s games) and we’re planning on going to some Fijian language classes pretty soon.’’

In one of his first acts as an AFL Multicultural Ambassador, Carlile made a donation to the Boots For All campaign supported by Australia Post.

He stopped in at the Kadina Post Office to give postal manager John Ramsey a pair of boots that will find their way to disadvantaged Australians thanks to Australia Post and its support for the non-for-profit organisation. For more details visit http://www,bootsforall.org.au