Six players, including Dyson Heppell, Courtenay Dempsey, Ricky Dyson, Hal Hunter, Ariel Steinberg and Luke Davis were part of the 4-day trip to the Northern Territory, proudly sponsored by Antler Luggage.

The players attended a local football carnival and presented the cup to the winning team, who celebrated with a traditional dance.

Heppell said it was a fantastic day and a great experience for the players.

“The way the entire community comes together around football is amazing,” Heppell said.

“Seeing all the smiling faces on the kids and spending time with them was really rewarding and something I will neverforget.”

“The hospitality of the local people was incredible with the tasty buffalo burgers on the bbq for lunch the highlight.”

After the carnival, the players went to a waterhole to cool off and have a swim with some of the local kids.

“I don’t know how they play football in the heat on the Tiwi Islands but I have a newfound respect for the conditions they play in,” Heppell said.

“The waterhole was unbelievable and once we were given the all clear that there weren’t any crocs in the water we were straight in.”

That night, the players boarded a ferry and travelled from Melville Island to Bathurst Island to stay at Tiwi College.

“The work being done by the people at Tiwi College is great and has helped the attendance rate of local kids increase to nearly 80%,” Heppell said.

“The whole trip has been a real eye opener and puts a lot of things into perspective about life and how lucky we are to be AFL footballers.”

“It’s really important that the Club continues to invest in its community programs in Tiwi and Wadeye. Once you see the role football plays within these communities first hand, you really appreciate the significance of what the club is doing.”