Katherine’s Keidean Coleman shines spotlight on NT talent

Fresh from being named as best on ground in the Brisbane Lions’ preliminary final win, this NT-born star is looking to make his own piece of history in the AFL Grand Final.

Katherine footballer Keidean Coleman will be the first ever player from the NT cattle town to play in an AFL Grand Final when he steps out for the Brisbane Lions after a best on ground prelim final.

The 23-year-old, who learned the game on the red and dusty ovals and backyards in the Barunga Indigenous community, 80km southeast of Katherine township, will play in the AFL’s Big Dance.

Coleman’s 64th game in the national competition will be for the AFL’s Holy Grail when the Lions enter their first grand final since 2004 when they lost to Port Adelaide.

He rated his best on ground performance against Carlton in the preliminary final as the best game he has played at the elite level.

“I thought I was pretty influential off half back and considering the importance of the game it still hasn’t hit me,” he said.

“I’m a pretty humble bloke and I don’t pump myself up too much, but I was glad to contribute to the team that night and celebrate the victory.”

The tiny community of Barunga will seem a long way off when he plays in front of 100,000 screaming fans at the MCG.

“It will be pretty loud and exciting, but all AFL players grow up wanting to play in a grand final, so my plan is to sort of soak up the week and take it day by day with the support system we’ve got at the club,’’ Coleman said.

Coleman’s mother is Lana Broome, who is part of the Hayes family from Katherine where his grandmother is Theresa Coleman (nee Hayes), known locally as Lali and his grandfather is Territory icon Billy Broome.

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA – SEPTEMBER 23: Keidean Coleman of the Lions kicks during the AFL Second Preliminary Final match between Brisbane Lions and Carlton Blues at The Gabba, on September 23, 2023, in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images).

Theresa Coleman said her grandson’s extended family in Darwin, Katherine, Barunga where he grew up, Tennant Creek, Alice Springs, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide would be glued to the television coverage on Saturday.

“We’re all so proud of him, he was just wonderful against Carlton in the preliminary final and we know he’ll play a big game for the Lions in the grand final,” Theresa said.

“He’ll have a lot of family and friends watching him and supporting him across Australia in the grand final on a truly united front, it will be a great day for us all.”

Coleman’s family links include legends Bill Dempsey (Darwin Buffaloes, West Perth and WA), David Ross senior and junior (Darwin Buffaloes and North Melbourne), John Paterson (Darwin Buffaloes and West Perth), Steven Koops (Southern Districts, West Perth, Fremantle Dockers and Western Bulldogs) and Matthew Whelan (Darwin Buffaloes and Melbourne).

Coleman’s path to senior football with the Brisbane Lions began at age nine when he moved with younger brother Blake to Brisbane to pursue educational and sporting opportunities.

Essentially a left-foot running defender with magnificent disposal skills by hand and foot, he played at QAFL club Morningside before Lions recruiters placed him in the Lions’ Next Generation Academy where he was viewed as a future senior player.

In a twist, Coleman’s 2020 debut for the Lions was against Collingwood, the club he supported as a kid, at the Gabba where he picked up 12 possessions in a low scoring eight-point win over the Magpies.

Coleman’s run out of defence and pinpoint disposal to teammates further up the ground will be big factors in Brisbane’s bid for a fourth flag.

Something he proved against Carlton where his 18 kicks, three handballs and 10 marks were instrumental in turning a 30-point deficit into a 16-point win.

Originally published as Katherine’s Keidean Coleman shines spotlight on NT talent