Michael Long is in his own dream time.

The AFL is about to kick off its round of Indigenous celebrations in Long’s beloved home city, Darwin.

Gold Coast meet Carlton on Friday night at TIO Stadium to herald the round named in honour of Sir Doug Nicholls, the first Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander to be knighted.

Long’s former club Essendon then clash with Richmond on Saturday night in Darwin.

Long, a pioneer of racial equality in his decorated playing career, never dreamt it would happen: his cherished Northern Territory is the centrepiece of the Indigenous round.

“I hope it happens again,” Long said.

“But I never thought it would be having the Indigenous round here this weekend.

“We know that football in our backyard is like a religion. We love football just as much as anything.

“We are just proud to have these games here.”

Long has been fielding phone calls for weeks from folks wanting tickets to a sold-out stadium restricted to 5000 spectators due to coronavirus protocols.

“Please stop ringing – I love you though,” he said with a grin.

“We would have loved to have had 12,000 people here but we know what is going on in the world … it’s important that everyone is safe.”

The personal requests come at a time Long described as “really special” – for him, his football code, his city, his nation.

But while a round of Indigenous celebrations, the two Darwin fixtures have serious ramifications for the seasons of the four clubs involved.

Carlton (12th, 20 points) and Gold Coast (13th, 18 points) are in a ladder squeeze – a win keeps them in touch with the top eight; a loss slips them off the pace.

Richmond’s premiership defence is on solid ground – they’re sixth with 30 points – and another win could propel them into the top-four, rewarded with a double-chance in the finals.

But Essendon are similar to the Blues and Suns: stuck in the middle. The Bombers sit in 11th spot with 22 points, with finals hopes hanging by a thread.