Does it really matter in relation to backgrounds anymore? I think we are being too generalistic and a tad racist. Some of the best halves our game have produced have been aboriginal. Does that mean they are smarter footballers than Polynesians?
I think it clearly does, and TheRam touched on why in his post.
Players learn best how to play the game while they are children. This is where their skills are honed and instincts developed.
Naturally then, children with different physical gifts will develop different instincts and ways of looking at the game. It's no coincidence that (most) Aboriginal children learn to see the game in terms of space and avoiding collisions, while most physically powerful kids (including most Polynesians) see the game as a contest of physical power.
There is a similar issue in the US, where the most physically gifted quarterbacks (regardless of race) often don't develop their ability to read the game because all through childhood and college they can resort to running the ball rather than holding their ground and making the pass. This is why many of the best college quarterbacks go undrafted in the NFL.
So when people say "Blacks can't play quarterback" or "Polys don't have any football brains" they are rightly derided as racist because correlation doesn't equal causality.
Athletic white quarterbacks also struggle to read pass coverage, and powerful white rugby league players aren't generally known for their football brains either. Anyone remember Paul Carige? Pretty sure that merkin was white, and as dumb as Ben Roberts.
