The Tiwi Islands sit approximately 120km north of Darwin or about six hours by boat and car. It has always for me been a mythical place, an almost football utopia where the game is played in its most natural form.

The first Tiwi player I ever saw was Sebastian (Sibby) Rioli at South Fremantle. Short and powerful, Sibby could win a game for Souths in a quarter. By his own admission, he was never fond of running distances but he didn’t need to. Think Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti and you’d be close to the way Sibby looked and played.

After Sibby, came younger brother Maurice who would become a champion at both Souths and Richmond. Like Sibby, Maurice was humble and let his footy do the talking. He was also a Golden Gloves boxing champion and whenever there was a fight during play, things seemed to remarkably cool down when Maurice entered the fray.

All in all, there have been six Riolis that have played in the VFL/AFL. When you throw in all the other offshoots from the Rioli dynasty you are talking well over a thousand games for St Mary’s in Darwin alone. When you throw in Michael Long and his family there are genes of genius everywhere in the Tiwi Islands.

Former Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy has always had a close affiliation with the Tiwi Islands through his relationship with champion Michael Long.  That connection is still alive and well.

Before 2006 Tiwi players wanting to step up to the NTFL had to play for Darwin based teams such as St Marys. In 2006 they formed their own team, The Tiwi Bombers.

Before 2006, the players didn’t wear boots. To see the balance, poise and skill of these guys playing in bare feet is quite extraordinary. Added to the repertoire is the fact that they kick a Sherrin in bare feet, something I haven’t done since I was six years old and have never done since.

So what about the women? Well this new documentary Like My Brother follows four young Tiwi women chasing their dream of playing in the VFLW for Essendon in Melbourne. (Essendon’s AFLW team weren’t included in the AFLW until 2021.)

We see the Essendon coaches and recruiters come to the Islands to test the girls before selecting four, Rina, Freda, Julianna and Jess to go to pre-season in Melbourne and try out.

Instantly we see the massive challenges that the girls will face. They are put up in a shared home on the outskirts of Sunbury in a new estate that can only be described as a suburban wasteland. One of the girls sums it up perfectly. “This place is dead. No family, no friends, no fire and no hunting.”

Despite the rough start, the girls are welcomed at Tullamarine by their team mates and the physical work gets under way. After ten weeks, three of the girls are selected the first game. Their mentor from the Islands is there to see it and it’s a huge achievement.

That was 2018, then injury and circumstance such as Covid combine to make further attempts at the big time unattainable.

The film examines the cultural gap between our anglo, modern existence and the traditional ways of our First Nations people. It’s not political or controversial in any sense of the word and focuses solely on the efforts of these remarkable athletes.

What it highlights also is the level of investment that the AFL is putting into the AFLW. Essendon alone seemed to have a cast of thousands hanging around.

Maybe I’m old fashioned but I think more time needs to be spent unlocking the girl’s potential and set them free a bit more. Repeat stoppages and an excessive focus on defence will only turn people off. It’s bad enough in the men’s game without subjecting the women to it.

Seeing the Tiwi girls in full flight reminded me of what it’s like to watch the Tiwi Bombers men. It just makes you smile.

One Monday about a decade ago I was working in West Gippsland and had to stay in a dodgy hotel in Morwell. The walls were paper thin but they had Red Rooster right next door, so I didn’t care.

On the community channel 31 late that night an NTFL game was on. It was the Tiwi Bombers versus Southern Districts on a wet and humid afternoon.

I couldn’t believe the skill level and I suddenly started cheering and laughing uncontrollably. Then The Bombers started destroying the opposition with tricks more akin to The Harlem Globetrotters.

My voice became louder and I yelled out, “No f….g way!”, “You can’t do that!”, “That’s insane!”, “You’re f….g kidding aren’t ya?”.

Next thing came a bang on the wall followed by an abrupt, “I’m tryin’ to sleep in here. Keep it down.”

It’s difficult not to revel in the joy of footy played with such freedom that the Tiwi Island players produce. This documentary brings to life so much of what makes this part of Australia so special.  7/10