To complete the afternoon, the group participated in a 30-minute training session with Essendon coaching staff - Michael Long and Kevin Sheedy. Sheeds took the group through a warm-up and a brief skills session and kept an eye out for the next future AFL star. ""This Leadership program is a fantastic opportunity for these kids to get exposure to AFL football - particularly the coaches and players. These opportunities were not available for aboriginals 20 years ago,"" Sheedy said. The group will participate in other football activities during the week and head back to the Tiwi Islands next Monday, August 26th.
TIWI ISLAND PLAYERS VISIT WINDY HILL
As a part of the Tiwi Island Leadership program – “Using Football as a Vehicle”, 30 aboriginals from the Tiwi Islands aged between 14 and 19 attended Essendon training yesterday afternoon. Following training the group performed a dance dedicated to Bomber coach Kevin Sheedy, Michael Long and Dean Rioli. The young players then had the opportunity to meet their Essendon football heroes in the new training rooms. Dean Rioli, Michael Long and Matthew Lloyd proved to be favorites amongst the group.
