Last week, Ngukurr WANTA Staff joined 5 students from Ngukurr School who were selected to attend the Under 12’s AFL Championships in Darwin with the School of Sport Education NT as a part of the Big Rivers Region girls and boys teams.
Day 1
The journey started with the drive from Ngukurr to Katherine, where we then joined the rest of the Big Rivers teams and travelled to Darwin on a big comfy coach bus. We arrived in Darwin, picked up our minibuses that then got us over to Club Tropical where we stayed for the week.
Day 2
After an early start and delicious, healthy and filling breakfast at the hotel, we then made our way to TIO stadium to kick off an exciting week of AFL. We started with a welcoming ceremony where we got to see where all the other teams were from, some from Arnhem Land, some from Central Australia and others from Darwin and surrounding remote areas, there were so many keen young AFL players ready to get started.
We then started the AFL matches and continued with that for the rest of the day. There was extreme excitement when the students realised that Cyril Rioli had come to visit! The students got photos with him and had some of their things signed by him. This was a highlight of the week with students reminding the staff of how cool it was all week long.
Once the matches had all finished, we headed back to Club Tropical for the night, where our Ngukurr students started making friends with all of their Big Rivers Teammates, playing tip-tip, cards, and even playing markers up with the other Regions players. We had delicious Fish and Chips for dinner then fell asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillow, ready for another big day.
Day 3
Up early again with full bellies, we headed back to TIO Stadium for Day 2 of the championships. Today we kept playing footy games, but our students also got to get involved with a lesson on Umpiring, especially goal umpiring. The students got to have a go at waving the flags and putting on their best umpiring impressions. The matches continued until the end of the day where we got to head to Leanyer Park for some fun on the water slides and water play areas. We came together as the Big Rivers team for a Pizza Party at Club Tropical and sharing what our favourite parts of the week had been as we got ready for our last night in Darwin.
Day 4
The final day of the championships came around so quickly and the students only had a few games left to play. The boys and girls both showed off their skills for the last few games, with goals being kicked left right and centre. The boys finished on a very close win which was a great celebration for the end of their week. Before we made the first part of our journey back home, we had a closing ceremony for the event, where all the students were congratulated on their hard work, dedication and their awesome behaviours. The Big Rivers boys were congratulated for being the champions of their Pool games, and also winning the Spirit Award for being the boys team with the best sportsmanship during the championships. The Big Rivers girls were so supportive and were very happy when one of their own was selected to join the Reserves for the NT Girls Team who will represent the NT later in the year at Maroochydoore. After we said our goodbyes, enjoyed a treat of fried chicken from our other amazing Big Rivers staff, we headed to Darwin Airport to catch our bus back to Katherine. You would think after a week of playing AFL these students would have been knackered, but the bus ride back was a party, with our Ngukurr students getting along with their Big Rivers teammates having the time of their lives before saying our goodbyes to each other in Katherine. Our Ngukurr team got back in the Troopy, treated ourselves to some chips and burgers for dinner before heading to the Katherine Indoor Sports Centre for the night where we blew up our mattresses, had a run around then headed straight to sleep after a big week.
Day 5
We got up very early after a well deserved rest, hopped in the back of the troopy and made our way back to Ngukurr. The students again had a ball, playing cards for the whole ride back, still wearing their Big Rivers shirts and medals they had been given and excited to share stories with their friends and families once they returned.
A big thank you to Ngukurr School and parents for supporting these students on this trip. We are so proud of these amazing students who really showed off the talents of these young footy players. We hope next year students can be involved again and who knows, maybe make the NT team.
Written by Indi Drendel, Director Ngukurr Academy Program.
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