JUDO DREAM

Cape York teen takes her talent from Bamaga to the Bahamas

INDIGENOUS trailblazer Francis Newman still craved a contact sport when her rugby league team folded in Bamaga yet never imagined it would be judo filling the void in the Bahamas.

Her silver medal yesterday at the Commonwealth Youth Games was wonderful reward for the dreams that are possible even when the combat sport had never been taught until five years ago in her remote community near the tip of Cape York.

Francis, 16, is the daughter of Northern Peninsula Area mayor Edward Newman and her pride is obvious in broadening the sporting landscape for Aboriginal and Torres Strait islanders.

“I had a good role model with my uncle who showed that you can achieve things and see different countries even from a little town like ours,” she said.

Her uncle just happens to be Nathan Jawai, the towering basketballer who became the first Indigenous Australian to play in the NBA with the Toronto Raptors and Minnesota Timberwolves before his more recent impact for the Cairns Taipans in the NBL.

The Year 11 student is grateful that sensei Xavier Barker set up judo’s most isolated dojo in Bamaga.

“We started in the town hall and now we are in a small gym with 20-30 kids enjoying judo and its discipline,” Newman said.

“I still follow the Brisbane Broncos and would love to play league again ... if ever we get a proper team.”

Barker said the talented teenager was a natural at the sport.

“She’s very athletic and, for me, quite coachable,” he said.

“The one other thing is she has a good bit of mongrel in her, which you can’t coach.”

It’s the second silver medal this year for Newman following her podium finish at the Oceania Continental Judo Championships in April.

Barker said a three-week training block in Cairns under the watchful eye of senior coach Karl Michaelis before the youth games had made a big difference.

“He is a proven coach down there and did a brilliant job,” he said.

“Everyone who’s seen her since said the difference in her is amazing.”

Barker said an Olympic berth wasn’t out of the question for Newman either.

“A lot can go wrong but if you do the right thing that’s certainly achievable.

“She’s pretty much won everything except a national title now.

“She even won an under-21 state title at just 13.”

Bamaga may even be home to more judo champions in the near future.

“I’ve got a lot of good kids under the age of 12,” Barker said.

“The problem is keeping them after they get to high school.”

Newman’s success was part of an upbeat opening in judo at the Youth Games, with Sydney’s Tim Hollingbery (+90kg) winning gold, and Canberra’s Connor Smith (-90kg) and Sydney’s Uros Nikilic (-73kg) also taking silver.

The Commonwealth Youth Games finish this Sunday.