Finals weekend: the games that transform lives

The exhilaration of roaring for the Crows or the Tigers this afternoon will be a new experience for many diehards, who were not even born the last time their teams were on the MCG on AFL grand finals day. Not so Cowboys and Storm supporters, who want more of the stellar success they’ve enjoyed in the past few years. In every code, however, the biggest winners are youngsters and supporters whose lives and communities are transformed by the teams they love.

For a few, like the amazing Rioli men from Melville Island, a rare talent for kicking and tackling took them to the pinnacle of our national code. Daniel Rioli, 20, whose brilliant four goals a week ago kicked Richmond into today’s final against Adelaide, is the fourth player from his extended family to take the field on finals day, thousands of kilometres from where they grew up. Other lives are transformed in local communities. In Townsville, a city battling 22 per cent youth unemployment after the closure of Clive Palmer’s Yabulu nickel refinery, the Cowboys and their never-say-die courage are a tonic, helping people believe in themselves.

Like many teams in the modern, professional NRL and AFL games, the Cowboys’ outreach is strong, providing practical help and encouragement for community projects. As a result, thousands more indigenous and disadvantaged young people across north Queensland are finishing school, playing sport and gaining industry-recognised qualifications under Cowboys programs such as “Dream, Believe, Achieve”.

The endgame, like finals weekend, is all about striving, competing and kicking goals, on and off the field.