My joy, the magic of the red-dirt footballer STEVE HAWKE
February 20, 2010 The clubs have changed too. As recently as the 1990s a bush kid like Liam Jurrah could not have survived and would not have been welcomed into an AFL club environment. Shy kids from remote Kimberley communities such as Yiyili and Looma would not have been seen on the rookie lists. But they are there now: Alroy Gilligan at Richmond, and Lewis Broome at the Eagles.
Aussie rules did not exist in Fitzroy Crossing when I was first there in the late 1970s. A rather haphazard basketball competition was the only sport being played. Today, it is impossible to imagine Fitzroy without footy. Every Saturday in season, the buses and cars full of players and supporters roll in from all of the outlying communities. The action is fast and furious, and the fans are loud and proud. Footy has become a hugely positive force in this Kimberley community, which has serious problems.
Grand final day is without doubt the biggest social event of the year. In 2006 the Yiyili Power upset the Bunuba Magpies, with a young Alroy Gilligan in the team. Now that he has found his way to Richmond, via Clontarf and Claremont, Yiyili has rebranded. They now play as the Yiyili Tigers.
Full article at:
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/my-joy-the-magic-of-the-reddirt-footballer-20100219-oluy.html
