Former Melbourne player Austin Wonaemirri will captain the Tiwi Bombers in their quest for back-to-back premierships in the NTFL Grand Final against his original club St. Mary’s tonight.

After 43 matches with the Demons Wonaemirri returned to the Tiwi Islands in 2011 and will be leading the team in the absence of suspended captain Shane Tipuamantimirri.

Wonaemirri has played 32 games for the Tiwi Bombers and 71 NTFL matches in his career since beginning his career as a 16 year old in 2004.

“Both myself and the players recognize one current individual player cannot replace the leadership style of our suspended Captain but with the experience and team spirit amongst the 22 who take the field I expect that we can at least partly compensate by sharing the responsibility” said coach Leigh Crossman.  

Crossman added that the team understands that Shane Tipuamantimirri will be with them on field in spirit.