"It's Indigenous Round - what are we saying to those other Indigenous boys who are going to run out over the next two or three days, if they had something planned?" Goodes said at the Swans' recovery session on Saturday after their 10-goal win over Carlton.

"Are they going to go out there and represent and be proud? I hope so. But if people are going to get their back up against a wall ... maybe they're not going to come out of their shell. I want people to be proud and represent because we have so many different cultures in this country."

In the second quarter, after scoring a goal, Goodes unleashed a war cry he said had been designed by players from the Flying Boomerangs Indigenous under 16s development squad. He directed it towards a section of Blues supporters, some of whom reacted with surprise or disdain. Security later evicted one patron from the area and another was questioned by police.

Goodes said his celebration was a show of pride to the visiting team's fans.

"There was nothing untowards to the Carlton supporters. It was actually something for them to stand up and go 'Cool, we see you, we acknowledge you, bring it on'," he said.

"My teammates loved it, the Carlton players loved it, it's not something that people should be getting their backs up about.

"If we're telling our people out there that you can't represent your culture or represent where you come from, in around specifically acknowledging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, what are we saying?"

Goodes said he could not answer for those who criticised or were upset by the war cry, nor the spate of booing that has dogged the dual Brownlow medallist during games in Melbourne.

Swans CEO Andrew Ireland said the various receptions towards Goodes presented a "really complex issue for Australia"

"I think it's probably part of a build-up that's occurred over the past year or so and I've got no doubt that becoming Australian of the Year really polarised some people and Adam has to deal with that on a day-to-day basis," Ireland told 3AW in Melbourne.

"The booing occurs for a wide range of reasons, but I've got no doubt part of it would be some racist elements.

"If another indigenous player had done what Adam did last night, I suspect it wouldn't have been as controversial as it is."

Goodes said people who didn't understand the war cry could educate themselves about it. The 35-year-old, who is likely in his final AFL season, felt strongly about taking his chance to perform it.

"It's completely an Indigenous Round thing," he said. "I played 357 games before this one. How many dance and war cries have you seen me do? This was an opportunity and it might be my only opportunity to do this.

"I was just grateful to be able to do it and for the right people to be able to embrace it for what it was. Everybody else, take a chill pill, understand what I was doing. If there was Carlton supporters offended by it, I'm sorry, but it's a war cry, it's a battle. It's supposed to intimidate you, it's supposed to say 'This is who we are. Come at us'."

Teammate Ted Richards, also speaking on Melbourne radio, said that if some other Indigenous players celebrated goals in a similar manner to Goodes, a tradition might be started.

"(It could be) a celebration, rather than an issue that some people are making it," Richards said.

"As a teammate of Goodesy and what he did last night, I was very excited and proud to be alongside next to him."