I’m so pumped for the big footy this October long weekend!
As Rugby League fans get excited about the NRL Grand Final this Sunday, I’ll be joining a large number of league lovers that are heading to the Western Plains area of NSW to Dubbo.
Set in Wiradjuri country, the 45th annual New South Wales Aboriginal Rugby League Knockout (Koori Knockout) will host over 130 teams across the men’s, women’s and under 12, 15, and 17s boys divisions.
It’s truly a modern day corroboree for Aboriginal people in NSW, a chance for the ‘mob’ to get together in a positive setting, as opposed to our regular way of catching up during sorry business (funerals).
Regardless of the five divisions up for grabs this weekend, the prize of being named the best community is only matched by the right to host the following year’s event.
The Walgett Aboriginal Connection won the Koori Knockout men’s competition in 2014 over the gallant Newcastle All Blacks, and has chosen to host this year’s event in Dubbo.
Players, family members, and devoted fans of Indigenous rugby league will fly, drive, ride the buses and trains, cycle, and maybe even walk to get to the event. The centralised location for this year’s Knockout will make it more affordable for the teams from the far west of NSW to attend, which may allow for more aspiring talent to take part.
Accommodation in Dubbo has been sold out for months, and neighbouring communities are also filling up quickly, with teams having to travel in each day to play.
Reports I’ve read suggests the Dubbo region will enjoy a financial gain of over $6 million over the course of the weekend! I’m sure I’ll be contributing to that.
Special mention must go to the men and women that make up the committees of all the teams competing, as they struggle to raise the many thousands of dollars required each year to field teams at the knockout. Well organised communities will have transport, accommodation, food, flash uniforms, and training gear covered in the annual budget.
Most teams will stay together in the same place to keep a unified group. My community of La Perouse are basing themselves in Gilgandra, north of Dubbo.
For the past eight years, I’ve been travelling to the Knockout as a member of the National Indigenous Television service to commentate on the event. It is by far the best job come knockout time, and I get the best seat in the ground.
This year joining me in the commentary team is Channel 7 sport and tech guru Djuro Sen, Newcastle premiership winner Owen Craigie, former NRL halfback now boxer Joe Williams, and talented actor and MC Luke Carroll. All of the team love their rugby league and all have been involved in past knockouts as a member of NITV’s team. You may even see Joey sneak out onto the field to play when our producer is not watching!
If you’ve never seen a Koori Knockout before, I would describe it like a washing machine. A load of coloured clothing representing the bright colours of the jerseys and supporter gear worn by the community all mixed in together.
Each person moving from ground to ground taking in the games they are desperate to watch. Then moving again, to meet up with a family member, a friend, someone they haven’t seen since the last knockout. The motion swirling and shifting like the wash cycle in a washing machine.
You’ll see hard-working volunteers manning stalls, working the canteens, caring for the injured in the medical tents, or making cups of tea and coffee for our elders.
I like to spend Friday and Saturday walking the knockout fields, watching the games closely, looking for the next stars in the youth divisions, and marvelling at the quality of the women’s games. I love to catch up with the amazing people I see each year at the event, like Uncle Charles “Chicka” Madden and his beautiful wife Aunty Lille. They’ve attended every knockout since 1971, but poor Aunty Lille missed one due to a work conference years ago, something she regrets.
A positive for the event, is that many first graders like George Rose, Will Smith, James Roberts, Joel Thompson, Dane Gagai, Edrick and Brenko Lee, David and Andrew Fifita, Reece Robinson (and his twin brother Travis), Brad Tighe, and Tyrone Roberts (to name only a few) take part in the Koori Knockout each year.
Players such as Albert Kelly and Maurice Blair (currently in post season for Hull KR in the English Super League) may also return this year for the Newcastle Yowies. We have no idea until Saturday morning of the knockout, who has agreed to play, and for which team.
The decision for these players to take part each year can be a tough one, as the risk of injury is always present and may jeopardise their playing futures. Some also require post season “clean up” operations on minor injuries.
But for most, the lure of playing for community, alongside brothers, cousins, and sometimes uncles and fathers, is too strong to ignore. Others wait until they are retired from professional football, and try to make up for lost time.
Former NRL players mix with the not-so-recently retired players also including Nathan Merritt, Denis Moran, Timana Tahu, Dean Widders, Wes Patten, David Peachey, Robbie O’Davis, and even Ewan McGrady still runs around for the Toomelah Tigers on occasion.
You will also see some of the incredible rising talents on display, like Under 20s Holden Cup players Latrell Mitchell, Grant Garvey, Josh Addo-Carr, and Cleveland McGhie, just some of the exciting talent at the Knockout. The scouts from the NRL and junior representative teams are there, and they are keeping a close eye on the under 15s and 17s competition.
Plus, there are hundreds of amazing players that just never made the top level, who were unable to ‘kick on’ or maybe were just not given the opportunity when the scouts were out looking.
Some of these players I’ll be looking forward to calling this weekend are Aaron Briereley of Yuin Monaro, Mundarra Weldon of Moree Boomerangs, Mat Pittman of Narwan Eels, Scott Briggs of Newcastle All Blacks, and the enigma in Mark Hickey of Redfern All Blacks. All players that have the ability to kill it in the NRL, but for their own reasons were not fortunate enough to do so… yet.
It’s been often said that the crowd swells whenever the women’s games are played on the main field. They just love to play the knockouts as much as the men, and in some cases more. Lavina Phillips-O’Mealey of Redfern has been my favourite to watch over the years, and Redfern’s battles with Mindaribba in recent years have been an annual highlight. The women play without fear, have seriously silky skills, and the will to win required at these knockout carnivals.
Prior to the first event in 1971, a group of very strong and proud Aboriginal men had the vision to create something which would grow to be very special: A knockout competition which would challenge all NSW Aboriginal communities to strive to be the best. Prove they were the best Aboriginal Rugby League community in the state.
45 years on from the first Koori Knockout won by my own community of La Perouse, only five teams took part. 63 teams will take part in the men’s competition this year, and many of these teams will feel they have what it takes to win it.
Who will it be this year?
NITV Koori Knockouts coverage – Highlights, Friday 2 & Saturday 3 Oct, 6pm and LIVE on Sunday 4 & Monday 5 Oct, 9am-5pm (Ch34 & Foxtel 144) nitv.org.au
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