Collingwood's first-ever Indigenous player, Wally Lovett, says he's proud of the progress the game has made in its treatment of Indigenous footballers.

Speaking on the new podcast series Collingwood Conversations, Lovett says he draws great pride from being an 'accidental trailblazer' and seeing how race relations have developed within football, especially around Indigenous Round and the Dreamtime at the ‘G game.

"It's a very special thing," he says. "It's a very proud moment. And watching some of my nephews and nieces going out and doing the welcoming and dancing and that sort of thing … it's a very special night."

Lovett says it's moments like that where he reflects on his own journey, and his position as Collingwood's first Indigenous player.

"It's something I'm very proud of. A lot of people mention it to you now … it made me stand a bit taller.

"(Collingwood) felt a very safe place to me at the time (I joined) and a welcoming place. It just felt like family, safe family. It's always got a very permanent spot in my heart. I'm honoured to be part of the (Collingwood) story and honoured to represent Aboriginal people."

Lovett spoke frankly about his own time as a player in the 1980s. He said he didn't cop as much as some other players through being lighter-skinned, but even so admitted he'd sometimes been drawn into physically reacting when taunted on the field.

"You heard quite a few remarks … it was open season on anything but that was just one of the tools they used back then. It mainly (came from) over the fence … that was probably the hardest thing. It usually spurred you on. Just made me a go a bit harder. (But it) was a weakness of mine … I took exception to a few things that were said – to other people as well. I don't like people getting slurred in any way.

"But I was lucky. I was treated a little bit different being a little bit lighter skinned than everyone else. I'm sure I was lucky enough to miss a lot of that racism. I got nowhere near as much as other boys – I can only imagine what they got."

There was no structured support network back then, but Lovett says he found great support from his own teammates.

"I was lucky enough I had a lot of support from the older players (at Collingwood). And the younger guys thought I was a bit of a cult hero. So at Collingwood I was pretty spoiled."

Lovett had a great first year in 1982, quickly becoming a fan favourite as a feisty goalkicking rover with a fierce attack on the football. But he was forced out of Victoria Park as part of the deal with Richmond that brought Geoff Raines to Collingwood. It was, says Lovett, a trade he never wanted – and which hurt him deeply.

"It upset me," he says. "Collingwood was my club. It did hurt me. In hindsight I can see that if I did stay it would have been a different life for me. I thought I was on a pretty sure thing that I'd be at Collingwood for a long time."

And he had some final words of praise for players like Nicky Winmar and Michael Long, who started to break down the barriers to improved race relations within football in the 1990s.

"I'm sure that those guys in history are going to be shown as the blokes who opened the doorway to a better place, a better world, a better league," he says.

Lovett, who was recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder, also spoke openly about his mental health issues, his role in the first ever Aboriginal all-stars team in 1983, his family's extraordinary ANZAC story – and the day he was given the VIP treatment with a helicopter waiting for him at Waverley.

Lovett will toss the coin before the start of this weekend's game against Fremantle.

Other talking points include:

- A look at the club’s jumper for the 2018 Indigenous Round (1.04)
- Lovett’s earliest football memories (1.46)
- Challenges in Lovett’s life (4.07)
- A family’s war story (11.21)
- Lovett’s path from the country to Collingwood (14.18)
- Memories of his league debut (18.37)
- A move to Richmond (26.40)
- Helicoptered to a wedding after a match at Waverley (29.45)
- Adjusting to life at Punt Road (32.07)
- Does Lovett wish he’d stayed at Collingwood? (35.25)
- Lovett’s experiences as an Indigenous player in the 1980s (37.28)
- Pride in stands taken by Indigenous players against racism (43.41)
- Giving back through the Past Players’ Association (49.29)

About Collingwood Conversations:

Collingwood Conversations is a podcast exploring some of the most fascinating figures and compelling stories in Magpie history.

Each episode, club greats past and present sit down with author, journalist and club historian Michael Roberts to tell the tales of their lives in the Black and White jumper.

Click here to listen to the first episode of Collingwood Conversations where Travis Cloke reflects on his 246-game career as a Magpie.