The Muluwurri Magpies have won the first Tiwi Islands Football League women’s premiership, defeating the Tapalinga Superstars by a single point in front of a frenzied crowd at Wurrumiyanga oval on Bathurst Island.
About 1,000 Tiwi Islanders and a full ferry’s worth of spectators from Darwin watched on Sunday as another chapter was written into one of the greatest stories in Australian sports: the brilliance of Tiwi football.
“It was pretty emotional,” said Mary Dunn, who the premiership cup was named after, and who has worked for years to bring a women’s competition to the islands.
“It took a long time for it to all come together. It finally did, which is amazing,” she said.
“Football is really the heart of our community.
“It brings the communities together and it brings a lot of the family groups together. Especially for our women, making them strong women in the future.”
Muluwurri’s Jodie Palipuaminni won the medal for best-on-ground, edging out Tapalinga’s 16-year-old star Shakayla Gardiner-Dunn, who kicked four of her team’s seven goals.
Tapalinga had its chances in the last few minutes, with the ball locked close to their goal as the final seconds ticked down.
But Muluwurri fended off Tapalinga’s final charge just long enough.
“The atmosphere was incredible. As soon the siren went the crowd was full of black and white streamers and everyone was running on [to the oval],” Danyon Smillie, AFLNT’s remote development manager, said.
“The umpires after the game said they reckon they couldn’t hear a thing out on the oval.”
Seven teams and about 300 players competed in the inaugural year of the women’s league.
Community participation in the sport, according to AFLNT, has for years been the highest in the country.
Now, nearly half the islands’ population is playing across the men’s and women’s leagues.
The match caps off a landmark few years revolutionising the game for Tiwi women, following the introduction of the Tiwi Bombers women’s team in the Northern Territory Football League and now the establishment of a local women’s competition.
The local men’s competition, which began in 1968, has long been one of the most popular events in town, drawing thousands of tourists onto the islands each year.
“It’s been like forever for me … to have our own women’s competition going and also have the Tiwi Bombers in our second season, it’s always been my dream,” Ms Dunn said.
“I’ve always wanted to see our women showcased like this.”
Ms Dunn also said the game had given the Tiwi community a boost after a tough period of mourning. On the day of the grand final, the Tapalinga coach’s mother died.
It was also another step, she said, towards improving women’s health on the islands.
“Us mob in Aboriginal communities, we have a lot of health issues, especially with [diseases] like diabetes,” she said.
“It’s good that a lot of the women actually come out and are starting to take care of themselves in regards to the illnesses that we have out here and getting fit and healthy and being stronger mums.”
On the field, the players showcasing their talent and skills were part of a new generation that would, Ms Dunn hoped, bring even more pride and excitement to the islands in the years ahead.
“We have to give them all of that support, and to take them to the next level,” she said.
“We’d love to see any of our girls play in the top leagues down in Melbourne one day.
“The ladies are already talking about next season.”
Source: AFL NEWS ABC
