Elcho Island footy an inspiration

Not many people have been to, or heard of, Elcho Island. And to be honest, before I accepted the position of Regional Development Manager for AFL NT, I hadn’t, either. It’s a unique place in that it’s a remote aboriginal community and one that every white person who I’ve spoken to agrees every Australian should visit at least once in their lifetime. It is typified with high unemployment levels (around 85%), over-crowded housing (a recent survey averaged 4.5 people per room, which includes kitchen and bathroom, not just bedroom) and the lowest socio-economic group in Australia. Indeed, male life expectancy is just above 50 years – one of the lowest in the entire world. A work colleague who is an extensive traveller likened it to ‘just above’ the living conditions of the worst places he’d seen in India and Bangladesh.

But it’s the spirit of the local people and their obsession with the game of AFL in particular that’s made my time here thus far so enjoyable. The local football competition (the Galiwinku Football Association) has just come to a close and it’s been fascinating to see firsthand how it’s unfolded. The community only numbers 2,500, but amazingly 7 senior teams competed in the 21 round home and away competition. This figure is even more incredible when you factor in that there are over 1,000 school aged children who live in the community. In short; if you’re a male adult living on Elcho Island there is a very good chance that you participate in our great game.

A lot has staggered me this year, but the one thing that I’ve found really fascinating is the evenness of the competition. I’ve followed a lot of football over the last 15 years and I can’t recall a season in ANY league where every team was still a chance to make, or miss out on, the finals with only 3 rounds remaining. The fact that the bottom side still finished on 8 wins for the season typifies the evenness in itself. All up there were 5 draws for the season and there were only 2 occasions where sides copped a traditional belting of over 60 points. In fact, there were many times when the 3 games of each round were all decided by 2 goals or less.

Typical football followers always mention the ‘injury factor’ when assessing which team is likely to figure in the business end of the season; ‘we’re a good chance IF we don’t get struck with the injury curse’, or ‘we’ll be right as long as (insert champion player’s name here) DOESN’T get injured’ are commonplace statements across the board at any level of football. Extraordinarily, for the entire season, only 2 players missed games through injury in the GFA and both of those were only for a week. Cynics may say that the aboriginals don’t play as ‘physical’ as their counterparts, but I can assure you that in the 60 plus games I umpired this year the hits the players received were as big as any that I’ve seen in my time following local football in Victoria. They also play on an oval that at the start of the year was covered in termite mounds, didn’t have a single blade of grass on it and was rock hard and there were also times when we had to play ‘catch up’ rounds where games were scheduled every day for weeks on end.

So what is it that allows these players to keep ‘getting up’ for games, when they are under nourished, ill-educated on proper recovery techniques, inadequately prepared for matches (in terms of not having done a pre-season) and playing in the harshest conditions of any group in Australia? 2 words; desire and passion. It’s been inspiring to see the desperation shown by each individual that’s taken the field in the competition this year. Their thirst to be the first to the ball and their willingness to chase and tackle and get up when they can’t has been on display every quarter of every match for the entire year. They are spurred on by the accolades they will receive by their peers if victorious and the pride they see on their families faces after the game. They play because they don’t want to miss out on the opportunity of experiencing victory with their team mates and put every ounce of effort into ensuring success.

The story of the year was without doubt the Tigers; at the midway point of the season they were last on the ladder, and although competitive in every match, a seemingly long way off matching the top teams. The form reversal came when 2 of their younger on-ballers returned from Darwin. They are both tenacious, fleet footed on-ballers who typify the spirit I mentioned previously. Slowly, the Tiger train started churning and in the final 2 rounds they had to win both games to guarantee a spot in the top 4. Both games turned out the same – down at 3 quarter time and then ‘finding something’ in the last quarter to register a win. They scraped into the top 4 and the other teams were cautious of their progress. In the first final they came up against the Kangaroos, who, in my opinion, were the best team in the competition and likely to be too strong for the Tigers. Given they were 2 goals up at 3 quarter time and kicking with the aid of a strong breeze in the last, my opinion seemed vindicated. I hadn’t fully factored in the spirit and desire of the Tigers outfit, however, as they stormed home to win a thriller by 8 points. They deserved all the plaudits that went their way as they repeatedly kept throwing themselves at the contest, desperate to win no matter what the cost. They had won their way through to the Preliminary Final against the Cats and before the game no-one could split the 2 teams. In another bruising encounter, the Tigers won on the last kick of the day to book a birth in the Grand Final against the Eagles. The Eagles had lost the previous years’ Grand Final and were keen to make amends. Not many people gave the Tigers a lot of hope of causing an upset, particularly given the Eagles had earned a right to 2 weeks off and the Tigers had played the preliminary final on the Monday before the big game, meaning they only had a 5 day turn around.

The Grand Final was a unique spectacle that I was proud to be a part of. The crowd numbered in excess of 3,000 and people had flown in from all over the top end to witness it. Before the game both teams had cheerleaders who performed well rehearsed dance routines and the teams (as they do every game) lined up and shook hands before the first ball was bounced. They then put on a fantastic, free-flowing, hard hitting, highly skillful game of football that was one of the best Grand Finals you could witness. It was fitting that it came down to the last kick of the game to decide the result. The Eagles captain and leading goal kicker, Wayne Dhamarrandji, had a shot after the final siren about 45m out. The kick fell tantalisingly short, giving the Tigers a 2 point victory and their first premiership since joining the competition.

After the game there was the usual pandemonium that takes place with the crowd rushing onto the ground and the cheers flowing. As I walked away I realised that the players hadn’t put their bodies on the line for money, or trophies, but for the jumper, for the bond they have with their teammates and more importantly for their love of the game. In a place where it is easy to be down trodden, pessimistic and sullen it is football that gives them hope, fuels their spirit and ignites their passion for life.