Many of you will have seen previous articles about Hawthorn’s visits to the Katherine region over the last four years and seen reference to the Big River Hawks. In the coming months we hope to provide you with even more insight into this young, talented and unique team and their relationship with Hawthorn Football Club.
So who are the Big River Hawks?
The Big River Hawks were formed in 2010 in order to allow the young men of the Katherine region and surrounding communities an opportunity to play in the Darwin based NTFL competition, the strongest in the Northern Territory.
The team draws on players from an area equivalent to the size of the state of Victoria - from communities of the Northern desert region such as Lajamanu in the West, and to the East, communities on the Gulf of Carpentaria such as Numbulwar and Ngukkur.
The team plays in the Under 18 competition and wears the colours and emblem of Hawthorn, one of its major sponsors and a long-time supporter of AFL in the Katherine region.
In its inaugural year of 2010, the team made the finals.
In their second season they narrowly lost the Grand Final, and last year, their third in the competition, they took home the premiership.
What makes the achievement so special is that it was done despite the vast distances of not only reaching a game but also between teammates. Some of these communities are a five hour drive on dirt roads from Katherine, and then the nearly 700km round trip from Katherine to Darwin each Saturday.
This makes training as a team impossible and when you add in the fact the football season is aligned with the wet season and, several communities are cut off by swollen rivers and creeks for weeks and sometimes months at a time, forming a club and team is certainly a challenge.
Not only has the team overcome these obstacles, they have been able to form a genuine bond that overcame not only distance but also historical differences between communities and cultures.
It is for these reasons the Big River Hawks are such an important sporting team.
Big River Hawks after their Round 6 victory over Wanderers.
They allow young men from all over the area and from all walks of life to pursue their sporting careers by playing at the highest level available in the Northern Territory, while also remaining in their communities as role models. They encourage the next generation of young men to aspire to be Big River Hawks themselves.
All players must be either attending school, work or training to be eligible to be selected each week.
The club is determined that the young men that wear its colours leave the team as 18 year olds that will continue to be strong members of their community.
The Hawks have started the current season strongly with a 7-2 win loss ratio as they attempt to defend their premiership.
Keep an eye out for more articles on hawthornfc.com.au in the months ahead, or check out bigriverhawks.com.au or follow them on twitter and/or Facebook.
GO HAWKS!
