DREAMTIME SHOWS FAMILY
IT’S A round celebrated like no other in Far North Queensland, as the many families who make up AFL Cairns represent their peoples with pride for the Dreamtime by the Sea Indigenous round.
North Cairns veteran Deearne Lee is one such player who’s annually ecstatic to be taking to the field on behalf of her heritage.
“We love playing football, but to actually play for your culture and your family adds that extra tier and hunger when you get out there,” she said.
Lee has Indigenous roots in the Noongar people in southern Western Australia.
Since being in Cairns, she’s learned about family in southern Queensland on her grandmother’s side.
“I’ve got family ties to Murris through Cherbourg from my grandmother’s family,” Lee said. “I’m learning bits over here which is really great, but it’s always great to play in the Indigenous rounds.
“It’s great to highlight the sportsmanship around the round and the culture it does bring.”
Another player with Indigenous heritage in WA is Cairns City Lions co-captain Brodie Deverell, as well as the palawa people in Tasmania.
“It’s a really exciting series of games for the year,” said the premiership-winning Lions skipper.
“You feel proud to be out there not only representing your team and community, but also your culture.
“Ever since I came up here in 2019, I’ve always looked forward to this game.”
Each club will be sporting their own special jerseys for the round, which celebrates its 10th year.
Norths women’s coach Marcus McGregor-Cassidy designed the club’s outfits, while Cairns City’s and Centrals Trinity Beach’s jerseys were designed by Yirrganydji and Nughi artist Nicole Chatfield (nee Enoch) aka Goompi’s Girl.
The Lions get-ups are coated with cockatoos – a totem of the Yirrganydji people as well as the medals presented by the club including the Kay Fatnowna Shield.
“The significance of it being symmetrical represents harmony and balance, that’s a style of artwork in this region, the Bama people,” she said.
“Those medals are significant to the connection families have to the club; it’s that one club, one family motto they coined as the Lions.”
Chatfield also designed the umpires’ jerseys for this round; this will be the first time the officials will have their own Indigenous round shirts.
“The refs’ design is more about them and their governance on the game as law men and law women,” she said.
“It’s about their significance and their development in the game as well.”
Lions player Daysia Creed-Wray will have her family on hand for the game, including cousins Laquoiya and Litonya Cockatoo-Motlap who were announced as members of Port Adelaide’s inaugural AFLW team.
“I know there’s a lot of support, but
it drives me to work harder to get there because I do want to get there,” Creed-Wray said.
“It’s something that’s run in the family for a while.”
Lions women’s coach Deverell said he wasn’t surprised by the talented twins signing.
“As soon as I got here and saw them play, I literally said they’re going to make the AFLW,” he said.
“To see their progression and work they’ve put into the last few years, in the background you see their parents Jassy and Natty getting them going.
“I coached them, but you can’t really coach what they’ve got – they just go out and play.”