Strong crowd attends the Tiwi Islands Football League grand final won by Muluwurri Magpies
Australian football on the Tiwi Islands is alive and well after around 3000 people attended the Tiwi grand final on Bathurst Island. SEE THE PHOTOS
Northern Territory
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AUSTRALIAN football on the Tiwi Islands is alive and well after Saturday’s Tiwi Island Football League Grand Final attracted a 3000-strong crowd to Tiwi Oval on Bathurst Island.
The fourth grand final between Melville Island-based sides Imalu Tigers and Muluwurri Magpies at Wurrumiyanga meant the traditional Melville-Bathurst premiership decider was not happening.
But TIFL spokesman Willie Rioli Sr said the number of flights to Bathurst from the mainland and heavy traffic on the Beagle Gulf produced by boats from Darwin meant a healthy crowd was in attendance.
“I know the Sealink mob with their boats were full and there were plenty of charter flights landing before the game, so we were pretty pleased with the turnout and the support the crowd gave both sides,’’ he added.
“One thing is for sure, there would not have been anyone on Melville Island during the grand final with both sides involved in the flag decider.’’
Another Rioli, West Coast premiership player Willie Jr, was among the big crowd after missing the Eagles’ game against Brisbane with a bruised quadricep and deciding to make the long trip to the Top End.
There might have been a similar Tigers-Magpie clash 3000km away in Melbourne when the AFL rivals went to war, but for the fans of Imalu and Muluwurri their own black and yellow and black and white jumpers were all that mattered.
A May grand final on the islands was a first for the league after logistical problems associated with the Covid pandemic forced a postponement of the competition from January to March.
For the record, Muluwurri won its first TIFL flag since 2018 when a barnstorming last quarter saw them run over minor premiers Imalu by 28 points to record their fourth premiership.
Muluwurri and Wanderers forward Stanley Tipiloura won the Brother Pye Medal following his six-goal haul for the premiers.
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