Jess Adamson: Crows stars Izak Rankine and Reilly O’Brien’s visit to APY Lands can change lives
When Crows livewire Izak Rankine arrived in the APY Lands with big ruck Reilly O’Brien, their real mission was hidden inside footy, writes Jess Adamson.
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When Izak Rankine stepped on to the red dirt of the APY Lands last week he fulfilled a promise he made to himself almost a year ago to the day.
It’s well known the 23-year-old’s call to leave the Gold Coast Suns was driven by a boyhood dream to play for the Adelaide Crows and by love, for his close-knit family.
But his passion to work with Indigenous children was also key to his decision.
Alongside big ruckman Reilly O’Brien, and with the support of the Adelaide Crows Foundation, he got his chance on a five-day trip last week.
I was lucky enough to join them, witnessing first-hand the impact AFL players have in a community where football is so revered, it’s almost a religion.
We drove more than 1700km across the Lands, meeting hundreds of children, their families and school teachers.
We ate quandongs and kangaroo tails fresh from the fire, listened to Dreamtime stories, watched as young boys stuffed huge sand goannas into bags for their dinner and fell silent as three local sisters shared a sacred story with the women in our group.
The country looks well. Purple and yellow wildflowers are bursting into bloom thanks to recent rain, but their beauty masks simmering tensions in the community.
Two weeks ago, the Finke Crows from across the NT border beat the Pukatja Magpies in the SANFL APY League Grand Final, sparking a series of violent incidents.
At a time when our country feels divided over the looming Voice referendum, our visit was a welcome one.
The children are warm and affectionate, smart and funny. They’re shy at first to meet O’Brien and Rankine but within minutes the players have earned their trust.
“Get in there Zendaya,” O’Brien shouts.
“Holding on, holding on,” Rankine blows the whistle as the pair cheerfully umpire a series of inter-school footy games in Ernabella.
They are laughing and smiling as the children show off their silky skills on a dusty, dirt oval.
It’s Rankine’s first trip to the APY Lands – his mother Kerry is from Kokatha country on the Far West Coast and his father Ronald is a Njarrenderi man, but this is a homecoming of sorts.
He knows he’s a role model for Indigenous children and relishes the chance to give back.
“Just getting out to the community in general has been a big pull for me to come home and to be able to finally do that at the end of this year has been really amazing – it’s been a great opportunity for me,” Izak says.
“It’s good seeing the little kids running around and everyone sort of coming together within their community.
“The kids are really excited, no matter if you’re playing for Crows or Port, they’re just so happy that you’ve come to visit them, their face just lights up.”
At 202cm tall, Reilly O’Brien is walking hand-in-hand with tiny 10-year-old Zendaya.
“Reilly is my favourite Crows player,” she says. “He’s long and funny.”
O’Brien gives her a Crows guernsey to keep. It looks more like a dress, but she wears it proudly, a memory of a big new friend she won’t forget.
“The kids were so good, they absolutely loved it,” Reilly says. “You couldn’t wipe the smiles off their faces, they’re so talented and so quick.”
It’s the fifth APY Lands trip in two years for the Adelaide Crows Foundation.
Its Crows on Country STEMfooty program empowers children to engage in science and maths using the power of sport.
They plot co-ordinates in a game of AFL on paper, learn about area as they measure tackle zones and understand angles with the trajectory of a footy kick.
In the future they’ll use the program on Country, measuring and weighing the Black Footed Rock wallabies they’re nurturing with the help of local rangers.
It’s a bit like hiding vegetables in the bolognese, the kids are enjoying it so much they don’t even know they’re learning.
O’Brien believes the program has the power to change lives, and he should know.
He’s has a Bachelor of Medical Science, a Masters in Neuroscience, is midway through both an MBA and a Master of Public Health and he plans to study medicine after footy.
“There’s lots of jobs in the future that involve science and math and all the STEM skills so it’s important to keep kids motivated to get involved in it,” he says.
“Coming out here and being able to help kids associate footy with their learning, it’s awesome.”
Rankine knows the challenges of keeping Indigenous students engaged.
“Even when I was growing up, I didn’t want to go to school but if I knew we were playing footy that day or it had something to do with footy I’d be there,” he says.
“It’s another religion for this mob out here so it’s a great vehicle to come out here and give them an opportunity.”
From the sidelines, local community leader Rueben Burton watches quietly.
As Executive Director of the Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Education Committee he’s seen city visitors come and go from the Lands but few have an impact like these players.
“The Crows mob is using footy to give confidence to our children to speak, to listen, to have fun. There’s a big world out there for us to step into and they’re opening doors for us to make our journey easier,” he says.
“Education is now important to the children in our schools. The next step is about going to the big smoke in Adelaide.
“Whoever is coming towards us to make connections are the people we’re going to walk together with, to walk alongside.”
Nicole Chataway is deputy principal at the Ernabella Anangu School where attendance fluctuates daily and many students disengage from maths and science.
She says programs like Crows on Country are drawing students back to class.
“It makes learning relevant for them, especially in the years 7, 8 and 9 fellas class,” she says.
“The engagement we get through STEMfooty is unmatched, I haven’t seen the fellas engage in maths learning like this ever before.
“And to be able to learn it from role models like Izak and Reilly, who the kids watch on TV every weekend, it’s the best that we can do for them.”
For me personally, the trip is as inspiring and uplifting as it is sad and confronting.
Knowing O’Brien and Rankine volunteered to be there in their season break fills me with hope. From the moment they arrived, they gave everything they had to the children.
As our trip draws to a close, the pair are taken on a hunting trip, along with Crows Indigenous Programs Manager Jeremy Johncock. They’re shown how to find bush foods, track animals and light a traditional fire.
Six hours, two flat tyres and a brown snake later they return, exhausted but exhilarated.
As the tyres are changed, Rankine and O’Brien play an impromptu basketball game with three children at the Kenmore Park Anangu School.
Two of them call Izak “Uncle” and he recalls meeting them before with his family.
It’s the highlight of his week. He returns, covered in glitter but grinning from ear to ear thanks to Nemo, a cheeky boy who gleefully chased him around the school.
On the wall behind them at the school are the words Kunpu nyinama. Pulkara nintiringama. Ngula wiru palyala uwankarangku.
Be strong. Be smart. Be successful.
It’s a privilege to think we might be helping them achieve their goals.
Jessica Adamson is a voluntary director of the Adelaide Crows Foundation.
Originally published as Jess Adamson: Crows stars Izak Rankine and Reilly O’Brien’s visit to APY Lands can change lives
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