Alkamilya Women’s Football Club founder PR ‘Magic’ Maher remembered by footy community

A pioneer of women’s football in Central Australia has been remembered as the force behind the creation of a premiership-winning club which bulldozed barriers.

A pioneer of women’s football in Central Australia who was the force behind the creation of a premiership-winning women’s team has been remembered as someone who fostered a “sisterhood mentality".

The Alice Springs football community is remembering the footballing contributions of PR “Magic” Maher who passed away on May 7 at the age of 47.

A keen footballer, Magic’s last match was in the 2021 Central Australian Football League (CAFL) grand final, where her beloved Alkamilya Women’s Football Club went down by points to Rovers by 39 points.

However, the Panthers would never have existed if not for Magic’s vision.

In early 2013, Maher floated the idea with family members about creating a women’s football team as a way of breaking down barriers for young Indigenous women, friend Jolene Preece told the NT News on Saturday.

PR "Magic" Maher bursts clear of the pack. Picture: Jolene Preece.

Preece said through Magic’s vision, and with the blessing of two matriarchs within her family, the Alkamilya Women’s Football Club was born.

They would win back-to-back premierships in 2017 and 18, atoning for losses in 2014 and 15.

“The word Alkamilya is a women’s dreaming which connects us to her homeland, 30km out of town, on the Elatjia-Armstrong Block, Iwupataka Land Trust,” Preece said.

“Through the creation of the club she could knock down some of the barriers in community sports participation, but most importantly encourage healthy lifestyles, build self-esteem, confidence and encourage new friendships outside of our family.

“Family being the most important word.”

Preece said Magic “grew up around the football field”, often playing backyard footy with her brothers and uncles, while her father Charlie and partner Shaun Cusack are CAFL and NTFL life members respectively.

She said Magic was instrumental in inspiring women to take up football.

Maher’s last game was in the CAFL grand final. Picture: Jolene Preece.

“As a player, through her warmth ... and leadership, Magic made everyone and anyone feel welcomed into the club,” she said.

“She treated each and everyone the same, always reaching out to anyone that may not be feeling well, or not talking or just generally feeling down.

“Through her caring nature and ability to treat everyone as her own family, Magic was able to instil in players throughout the years a sisterhood mentality.

“Still to this day, everyone looks out for each other, communicates with each other and encourages each other.

“The team members often refer to themselves as sisters and not team players, thus ensuring they have each other’s back, on and off the field.”

All CAFL teams participated in a guard of honour before the first round of matches this season.

Magic’s funeral will be held on June 16 at the Lutheran Church in Alice Springs.

Biggest-ever Indigenous Netball Carnival returns

The biggest-ever Indigenous Netball Carnival returns to Marrara on Friday night.

The fifth annual event will boast 24 teams across six categories, making it the biggest edition in its history, with players also coming from Kununurra, Alice Springs and Katherine.

Divisions include 13 and 15 and Under, mixed teams and open men and women, with team names including Mob Minis, Blak Attack, Northern Indigenous Warriors and Darwin Storm.

Netball NT executive officer Ian Harkness said the carnival would provide some players their first taste of competitive netball.

One of the winning teams, Storm, from a previous carnival. Picture: Netball NT.

“The goal is to increase participation numbers of inidgenous athletes in netball,” Mr Harkness said.

“It’s the biggest one we’ve had, in 2017 the first year we had 20 teams and now we’ve got 24.

“And it’s the first time all the categories have been run, this year we’ll have all of them.

“It’s a weekend carnival so come on down and take a look and cheer them on.”

The carnival, which starts at 6pm on Friday with an opening ceremony, is also a platform to increase awareness and education around health living.

Mr Harkness said there would also be cultural elements to the carnival with paintings, weaving and food trucks.

Euthanised greyhound sparks investigation transparency calls

The euthanasia of a Winnellie Park greyhound which fell during a recent race highlights a lack of progress in implementing recommendations from a “damning” investigation into the sport, an animal welfare group says.

Two-year-old My Shout Jess was put down after she fell in the back straight during a race on May 4.

The greyhound sustained “bilateral hind leg paresis” and was put down by the on-track vet, Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds NT director Annie Hendley told the NT News.

My Shout Jess was the first greyhound to die at Winnellie Park this year while 20 dogs have been injured while racing in the NT in 2022 alone, she said.

Ms Hendley said a vet advised the Coalition that sudden paralysis of both hind legs suggested a spinal fracture.

She said the incident highlighted a lack of progress in implementing recommendations from last year’s “damning” investigation into the local industry by the NT Racing Commission, which highlighted “unacceptably high rates of injury and euthanasia”.

“Another key issue was a lack of transparency that included failure to report statistics on deaths and injuries,” Ms Hendley said.

The final report, released in August last year with 60 recommendations, found some of the Darwin Greyhound Association’s kennels in Winellie were non-compliant.

The report also found the industry “does not have adequate policies and procedures in place to ensure best practice animal welfare standards are being adhered to”.

It recommended the industry “immediately put in place the necessary safeguards to protect the welfare of racing greyhounds, and to ensure the integrity of greyhound racing is maintained”.

Association president Robbie Brennan said last year his organisation intended to fully implement the findings of the report, but the failings of the association had been due to the rapid growth of the industry.

My Shout Jess was put down after a fall at Winnellie Park on May 4. Picture: Supplied.

However, Ms Hendley said the death of My Shout Jess highlighted the dangers on racetracks and the lack of transparency in the implementation of the report.

“The race video shows My Shout Jess collapsing in agony as her back legs crumble. This is a brutal industry that cares little for the welfare of greyhounds,” Ms Hendley said.

“Although she was only 25 months old, My Shout Jess had run 25 races, a high number for such a young greyhound.

“The recommended race frequency is once a week, but she had exceeded that on numerous occasions.”

She said last year’s report made for “chilling reading”.

“If the NT Government was serious about animal welfare, it would provide an update on the implementation (of the report),” she said.

A spokesman for the department of innovation, tourism and trade said the government had worked with the association and the Racing Commision to develop an implementation plan for the report’s recommendations.

“To date, 30 recommendations have been completed and 27 are in progress,” the spokesman said.

“With the support of these rehoming organisations, the department and the DGA are exploring all available options to reduce the numbers of greyhounds being euthanised in the NT, including options to send greyhounds to other jurisdictions for rehoming.”

Mr Brennan told the NT News four injured greyhounds over the past financial year at Winnellie had been “saved”.

“The association has placed the response to the investigation in the hands of our lawyers and with their advice, we have addressed about 80 per cent of the recommendations,” Mr Brennan said.

“The issues involving animal welfare were given priority and is the number one concern moving forward.”

Adelaide River Cup track wrecked by feral pigs

THE annual Adelaide River Cup set for early June will be moved to Fannie Bay after feral pigs caused “significant” damage to the track’s surface, Thoroughbred Racing NT says.

The peak body’s chairman of stewards David Hensler inspected the track in late April and described the damage as “catastrophic”.

He said large sections of track were affected, with the turf and roots completely dug out, and there was no other option than to move the June 4 meeting.

It will be the second time in the last three years that Adelaide River has been unable to race locally, following a Covid-related cancellation in 2020.

However, the meet will run with the same program at Fannie Bay.

Thoroughbred Racing NT chief executive Andrew O’Toole told the NT News on Thursday the track had suffered from damage from feral pigs in the past, but it was normally restricted to a small section of the track.

“They’ve made a nice old mess,” O’Toole said.

The Gary Clarke-trained Neat Feat wins the Adelaide River Show Society Open Handicap at the Adelaide River Cup Day in June, 2018. Picture: Supplied.

“We’ve been able to manage by filling in and patching the area (in the past), but this was a far wider area, and in five different places rather than one.

“It’s significant and in bad places, there’s one approaching the home turn, the turn off the back straight, pressure points on a racecourse, so it’s pretty widespread.

“But it won’t be lost to Territory racing and we’ll work with the club to come up with some solutions.”

He said the cost of the damage would be unknown until a turf expert was hired to inspect the track.

“I couldn’t hazard a guess or what is required to fix it,” he said.

Thoroughbred Racing NT and Adelaide River Show Society members will meet next week to find a solution to ensure racing returns to Adelaide River.

Johnny Tapp fancies Lord Bouzeron in the Alice Springs Cup

Australian racing legend Johnny Tapp has tipped Lord Bouzeron for the Alice Springs Cup tomorrow.

The esteemed former race caller stressed he liked several horses trained by Adelaide’s Michael Hickmott in the $110,000 race, but was not completely across the form.

“I had in mind Lord Bouzeron,” Tapp told the NT News.

“He seems to have the right form for this class of race, he just looks well placed.

“I’m flat out tipping a winner in Sydney (though) on my own turf .... it will be even harder at Alice Springs.”

He said the “excellent” prize pool up for grabs had attracted strong contenders from interstate.

“It’s a worthwhile race, that’s why you’ve got these interstate representation, it’s worth their while,” he said.

However, Tapp was coy when admitting he had not visited the Alice in almost 25 years, last here the week after his illustrious race calling career ended in August, 1998.

“I’m almost embarrassed to say this is my first time in Alice Springs in 24 years,” Tapp said, who was the star attraction at the Alice Springs Turf Club’s cup luncheon on Friday.

“And it was nothing to do with racing, mate.

“It was the week after I retired as a race caller.

“I did my last race call and before I settled into my new role at Sky Channel as a studio host, I decided to take 10 days off with my wife, Ann.”

He remembers catching The Ghan from Adelaide.

“But not the one you see now, it was the old rattler,” he said.

“We went to Kakadu and Kings Canyon.

“I had no connection with the race club here on that occasion, and this is the first time back.

“It took me a while.”

Tapp admits for several years after his 1998 retirement he occasionally got itchy feet moments before the big races, especially in Sydney.

“(I’d) feel a little bit of anticipation whenever they were about to jump in a Golden Slipper or one of the big Sydney races, I sometimes wished I was still there,” he said.

“But I’ve settled into an acceptance of the fact my race calling days are well over.

“I’m well and truly over that. I’ve got it out my system.”

That being said, it appears as if Tapp is busier than ever.

After retiring from Sky in 2015, he started up racing website, John Tapp Racing, four years ago, which was meant to provide him up to five hours of work a week while staying plugged into the sport.

“It’s developed into a much bigger project than I expected, it’s pretty much full time,” he said.

More than 60 pool players to compete in the Darwin Eight Ball Open

More than 60 pool players from across the country will descend on Tracy Village Sports Club this weekend for the 38th annual Darwin Eight Ball Open, with more than $10,000 in prize money up for grabs.

Multiple open winner and Territory export Travis Crawley will be out to defend his 2021 title at the popular event which began way back in 1985.

“It’s one of the longest running singles championships around Australia,” Crawley told the NT News, who has also pocketed several Australian titles over his career, too.

The sporting club will bring in four additional tables for the event, Crawley said, which will also be livestreamed for keen eight ball fans across the globe.

“It’s a good comp to come to, Darwin is so laid back, times slows down while you’re here,” he said.

“Darwin really backs the event.”

He said the tournament, before the pandemic hit hard, routinely attracted big name players including world champion, the UK’s Mick “The Machine” Hill, who has won the event previously.

“He’s come to Darwin three times, and always planned his trip to Australia to fit it in,” Crawley said.

“He hasn’t been back since the pandemic, which gives everyone else a chance (laughs).

“For a number of years they’ve had players coming from down south too, a lot of top players.”

Qualifying rounds will be held over the weekend before finals are fought out on the Monday, with the number one Australian ranked player Justin Sajich, fresh from the US Open Championship, also competing.

Crawley, the current Australian Eight Ball Federation president, said he was feeling confident about his own game, with the winner set to take home $4000.

“I’m happy with the way I’m hitting them, there’s still a few interstaters who have claims on it as well,” he said.

“It really comes down to a flip of the coin on who is playing better on the day.

“You’ve got to position yourself and be there on the Monday, you’re still a chance then.”

The Territory do it tough at the national championships

It’s been a tough Tassie road trip for the Territory’s 17 and 19 and under squads at the national championships in Hobart this week.

The 19s and under coach Sharon Freeman said the best result the girls could hope for was a fifth place when the tournament concludes on April 24.

The NT was thrashed 66-18 by South Australia on Tuesday and the results only improved marginally from there, with its closest match an 11-point loss to the ACT, later that day.

However, Freeman said despite the 0-5 ledger the squad had maintained “great morale”.

“The girls have really taken it to all the teams, at least until half-time,” Freeman said.

“To run out four quarters is what our aim is over the next couple of days.

“But the team morale is right up there, we’ve got a really good group of girls.”

She said her charges’ better results so far was a 32-point loss to Queensland on Thursday and a 22-point loss to Western Australia on Wednesday, which had also allowed the squad to experiment with its line ups ahead of finals.

The Territory were within a goal in the third quarter against Queensland before the score “blew out”, she said.

She said Brooke Wilson and import Zoe Peden had been standouts of the tournament so far, although “everyone has stepped up in a different way”.

The team faces Tasmania and NSW on Friday before finals across April 23 and 24.

Meanwhile, it’s been a similar story for the Territory’s 17 and under team, also going at 0-5 after a big, opening day loss from Victoria, 56-8, where they were kept to just one goal across two quarters.

Territory poised to host two PGAs in 2022

Pipe NThe Territory could host two PGA events within a few months according to NT golfing export Aaron Pike.

Pike, who won the Northern Territory PGA Championship two years ago, was anticipating the 2022 version to be held in August this year.

It comes after last year’s event, which was cancelled due to Covid, was scheduled for early May (5-8).

“I think there might be a quick turnaround, there might be another one coming up back in the dry season, as per normal,” Pike told the NT News.

The NT News understands the PGA Tour of Australia was hopeful of running the 2022 event in August.

However, Pike will defend his 2020 title in May against the likes of Peter Lonard, Brett Rumford, Dimi Papadatos, Bryden MacPherson and 2016 winner Jordan Zunic at Palmerston Golf and Country Club.

The final, albeit delayed event on the Australian PGA calendar, the top three players in the order of merit will receive playing cards for the DP World Tour after the NT event.

Palmerston has a strong emotional connection for the now Brisbane resident — he literally grew up on the course with the family home adjacent to the fairways.

“My parents still live on the golf course, effectively,” Pike told NT News.

“They had to put a fence in, I lived on the golf course.”

Pike, who had not played the game until his parents moved in, eventually had to choose in his teenage years between a career in golf or cricket, where he showed a lot of promise in the latter playing for the Territory.

Now, decades later, Pike said anticipation was building for the event after last year’s cancellation.

“From a players’ perspective the anticipation is certainly there,” he said.

“There’s a few boys who look forward to playing that event every year… players love to get out of the winter and experience 30 degrees.”

He also said the atmosphere was unique to other golf tournaments held in capital cities across the country.

“Darwin’s not like any other city in Australia, it’s far more chilled and relaxed,” he said.

“Club members have been absolutely screaming for us to come back up and play, they’re keen as mustard, they love the event and to my knowledge, so does the community.”

Pike has fond memories of his 2020 victory, where his brother was the caddie.

“You don’t get to play a championship event, typically, in the place… where you grew up,” he said.

“Winning anywhere is bloody hard, winning in front of family and friends with that kind of pressure… it rates pretty highly (for career wins).

“I’ve still got a close connection to Palmerston.”

He also said the tournament’s unique trophy – notably for its crocodile skull – was the “perfect fit” for Darwin.

“It’s unique and it’s different,” he said.

“I’ve got a miniature version at home.

“The first question I get asked when somebody comes over is: ‘What the hell is that and where did you get that from?’”

Meanwhile, PGA Australasia tournaments director Nick Dastey said the Palmerston event had become “one of the favourite stops” on the Australian tour and it was cancelled last year to ensure the 71-hole course continued to attract the “cream of Australian golf”.

City of Palmerston mayor Athina Pascoe-Bell said the event was great for the local economy would put the course on the sporting map and a near nine month delay would only “add to the level of excitement”.

Entry to the four-day event is free.

NT drops Under 17 and 19 squads for the national champs

Some of the Northern Territory’s best junior netball talent will be out to create history when they compete at the national championships in Hobart in just a few days.

The NT has announced its Under 17 and 19 teams ahead of the six-day carnival at the Hobart Netball and Sports Centre, bringing nearly 200 of the best young netballers from across the country, aged between 15 and 19, with scheduled 72 games.

The championships, which were first contested in 1985 and were cancelled the past two years due to the coronavirus, are an important pathway with many Australia Diamonds representing their state or territory at previous meets.

The Under 17 girls will play Victoria and the ACT on April 19, Tasmania and South Australia (April 20), NSW (April 21), Queensland and Western Australia (April 22) before possible finals on April 23 and 24.

Meanwhile, the Under 19 girls will play South Australia and the ACT on April 19, Western Australia and Victoria (April 20), Queensland (April 21) and Tasmania and NSW (April 22) and then potential finals across April 23 and 24.

The Territory has never won the championships and finished sixth and seventh in 2019 in the Under 19s and 17s respectively.

The Under 19 squad includes Lilli Christophers, Lily Clark, Frances Cruickshank, Madison Hyde-Woodbridge, Lucy Nicolai, Emma Noblett, Ailis Nolan, Ciaralii Parnell, Lily Tastula, Brooke Wilson and Carly Wilson.

The Under 17 squad includes Mackenzia Brooks, Charlotte Hateley, Mackenzie Lynch, Ruby Mack, Ashlyn Materne, Amelia Napier, Oreoluwa Ogeleye, Isabelle Ross, Laura Roy, Rania Shelford, Taelah Smith and Hannah Torsney.

The championships will also be screened on Kayo.