You are currently logged in to Club Exclusive access
Smiles all round at the top end
If you ever doubted the ability of AFL players to put a smile on the faces of children then you only need have been in some of the Northern Territory’s remote communities today. Essendon players travelled far and wide and everywhere they went they were met with excited young indigenous children, eager to meet their heroes.
If you ever doubted the ability of AFL players to put a smile on the faces of children then you only need have been in some of the Northern Territory’s remote communities today. Essendon players travelled far and wide and everywhere they went they were met with excited young indigenous children, eager to meet their heroes.
One such community was Belyuen – an indigenous community about 150km out of Darwin. Essendon players James Hird, Jobe Watson and Leroy Jetta spent a few hours with the local school children. The time included a class discussion on nutrition and education and a football clinic on a nearby beach.
""It is on days like this you understand the role that AFL football can play in these communities. To see the smiles on the faces of the kids was fantastic – there was a genuine excitement and happiness which was fantastic,"" Watson said.
Essendon players also travelled Daly River, Peppiminarti and Port Keats. Eight Essendon players will head out to Tiwi Islands tomorrow for a days of community activities.
Essendon captain Matthew Lloyd is only a 50-50 chance of lining up against the Indigenous All Stars in Darwin this Friday night, despite completing a training session with the team at Marrara this evening. Lloyd suffered a slightly corked thigh during an intra-club practice match and selectors are weighing up whether to risk him in the exhibition game.
