Tiwi Bombers request league reschedule their Round 10 home game vs St Mary’s
The Tiwi Bombers Football Club has made a drastic decision to combat an issue they are facing in-house. Read what they did and why.
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The Tiwi Bombers have made a drastic decision to stamp out anti-social behaviour and violence directed at the club.
The Tiwi Bombers match against St Mary’s has been moved to TIO Stadium, where it will be played at 2pm Saturday at the request of the club.
The hard-line decision is the first big move the club has taken to stamp out problematic behaviour directed at their players and staff.
The Bombers went 988 days without a win in the NTFL but a return to Bathurst Island for the first time since December, 2021 - due to Covid restrictions - inspired the side to victory over PINT on October 29.
Community support was paramount in the win as crowds came to watch their beloved game.
However, an alleged off-field incident that led to a Bombers player being charged with assault, occurred before the match began.
The alleged incident led Tiwi Bombers president Lindsay Whiting to asking the league to move the game to Darwin.
“It wasn’t one thing in particular, but we needed the community to understand we need them on side for these games to go ahead,” Whiting said.
“It’s most definitely disappointing. Home games are crucial to Tiwi Bombers and the way we play, and they’re crucial to the community as well.
“But as a board we have a job to do, and that’s to provide a safe and secure environment for our officials and players.
“We’ve just had to make some quick decisions, and needed to make them early
“There’s been phone calls from the island, people are disappointed this has happened, but they understand the reasons these decisions have been made.”
The club also released a statement on their Facebook page stating they had requested the game be played in Darwin rather than on Bathurst Island.
“We were scheduled to play at Wurrumiyanga this weekend (in) Round 10 against St Mary’s,” the statement read.
“However, due to unacceptable behaviour directed at the club we have decided to play this game in Darwin.
“Our players and staff are striving to become future leaders of our communities and the club needs to play a role in creating a safe space for all our people to be able to thrive.
“It is unfortunate and disappointing that the actions of a very small minority has cost the rest of our community members a chance to see our teams play on home soil.”
AFLNT and Tiwi Islands Council were contacted for comment.