Young Koonibba stars Kailee and Kaianne Colbung-Ware with AFLW potential left ‘devastated’ they can’t play with the boys

Koonibba twins Kailee and Kaianne Colbung-Ware – both said to have AFLW potential – can’t play for their local club anymore. Instead, it’s a 800km round trip to keep their dream alive.

Officials from Australia’s oldest surviving Aboriginal football club want two girls they believe have AFLW potential to be allowed to keep playing in a boys team.

Twins Kailee and Kaianne Colbung-Ware are devastated they cannot line up with Koonibba’s male under-16s side because of a national age-based gender policy.

AFL rules covering all community football excludes girls from playing in boys competitions if they are 14 at December 31, unless they have a league exemption.

Those permits are approved on a case-by-case basis, the main consideration being whether there are all-girls competitions within a reasonable distance they can participate in.

Kailee and Kaianne won a premiership with Koonibba’s under-16 boys last season after an exemption, only to be told a week before round 1 that they could not play this campaign.

They have continued training with the side and volunteered as water girls on club game days.

Koonibba footballers Kaianne and Kailee Colbung-Ware. Picture: Supplied.

Given the Western Eyre Football League does not have enough players to stage female competitions, their family drives the more than eight-hour, 800km round trip from their hometown of Ceduna to line up for Mallee Park in Port Lincoln’s under-16 girls division, held in summer.

“We found out a week before the season was starting they wouldn’t be able to play,” the twins’ mum, Renee, told this masthead.

“It was pretty devastating.”

Kailee, a defender/wing, added: “I felt disappointed I wasn’t able to keep playing with my team.”

Inspired by their cousin, Sydney Swans’ draftee Zippy Fish, the twins hope to eventually play AFLW.

They will represent Eyre Peninsula at senior women’s level this weekend in the state country championships in Port Pirie.

Long-time Koonibba official Wayne Miller said the girls should be allowed to play in their local league, rather than have to travel so far to Port Lincoln.

“The SANFL is supposed to be opening doors and making footy accessible for females, but they’re closing the door with simple, silly policies like this,” Miller told this masthead.

“It’s terrible.”

Miller said the sisters were inspiring other footy-loving girls in the community.

It is understood the twins playing both underage and senior women’s football in the Port Lincoln league has counted against their chances of an exemption.

Sydney Swans draftee Zippy Fish. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

The family was unaware that was the case and said the sisters had played at Mallee Park for years because it had previously lived in Port Lincoln.

Another Western Eyre club, West Coast Hawks, is believed to have two girls in the same boat.

Western Eyre president Craig Rule said that if it was up to clubs, the girls would probably be allowed to play with the boys again this year.

“We love the fact they’ve been playing but it’s come down from upstairs (the SANFL and AFL) and it’s out of our hands because of insurance issues,” Rule said.

The SANFL stressed the policy was not new and the state league had reminded other competitions of the requirement for clubs to apply for exemptions.

SANFL executive general manager of football Matt Duldig said the AFL regulations were in place nationally for player safety, wellbeing, fairness and integrity of competitions.

“Where decisions are made to play outside of national regulations, without appropriate and approved exemptions, there is significant risk to the national insurance scheme, and by extension, to the relevant players,” Duldig said.

“In the Eyre Peninsula region, there is a thriving Port Lincoln Women’s Football League with senior and under-age competitions in which a number of girls now seeking exemptions have played in throughout the 2025 season.

“A key strategic goal of SANFL’s is to continue to grow women’s football and establish new competitions for girls and women across the state, including the Eyre Peninsula region.

“We know that greater retention rates are achieved where girls are provided with dedicated and appropriate pathways with all-girls competitions.”

Originally published as Young Koonibba stars Kailee and Kaianne Colbung-Ware with AFLW potential left ‘devastated’ they can’t play with the boys