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A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWNA STUDY GUIDE by katy marrinerhttp://www.metromagazine.com.auhttp://www.theeducationshop.com.au

‘We were invited to become theeighth team in the NorthernTerritory Football League. Todaywe are living a dream that wasfirst dreamt by our grandfathers.That dream was to have a Tiwi sideplay in the Darwin competition,the Tiwi Bombers.’– Thomas SimonAbout In A LeagueOf Their OwnIn A League Of Their Own followsAustralia’s first all-black footballteam through their first season inthe big league in 2007 and 2008. Aftermore than thirty years of running theirown competition in a remote islandcommunity off the coast of Darwin,the Tiwi Bombers set out to prove thattheir fast intuitive style of football canbeat the long established teams ofthe Northern Territory Football League(NTFL).winning streak comes to an end andthey struggle to maintain their place inthe top four teams.The tropical rains begin and the dirtroads that connect the communitiesturn to mud. Getting the team togetherto train is more difficult than ever. Theplayers and their mentors look to thepast and the strength of their tribalancestors for inspiration. The captainsand coaches remind the younger playersthat they have inherited this opportunityfrom the decades of struggleby their fathers and grandfathers.This study guide to accompany InA League Of Their Own has beenwritten for middle and seniorsecondary students. It providesinformation and suggestions forlearning activities in English, Health,Health and Human Development,Humanities, Media, PhysicalEducation, VET Sport and Recreationand curriculum projects exploringcontemporary Indigenous Australia.In A League Of Their Own is athree-part documentary series.Each episode runs for approximatelytwenty-six minutes.From the outset there is oppositionfrom the other clubs as their top Tiwiplayers are signed to the Tiwi Bombers.It looks like a Tiwi dream teamwill come together to annihilate theestablished clubs. After a long winningstreak through the first half of theseason the Tiwi Bombers appear tobe unbeatable. But there are unseendangers lurking behind their apparentsuccess. The young players’ commitmentto steer clear of drugs andalcohol is severely tested. Riding highon success they lose their resolve andattendance at training drops. TheirThe Tiwi Bombers make a last ditcheffort to make it into the finals series.After losing their first finals game,it comes down to one game. Thepressure is unbearable. The weathercouldn’t be worse. Training is almostimpossible. The highly emotionalclimax to this journey is unavoidable.The cost of their inexperience and lackof discipline is crushing for the playersand the club but the message for theTiwi Islands community is to get backup and fight another day.SCREEN EDUCATION2

Episode GuideEpisode OneThe Tiwi BrandThe Tiwi Islands, a group of three tinyAboriginal communities spread acrosstwo islands off the coast of Darwin,are a prolific producer of top gradefootballers. When the community isgiven the opportunity to field a sidethey decide it is time to break withtradition and create their own TiwiIsland dream team.Their admission to the competition isnot without controversy as many ofthe established Darwin clubs are bristlingat having some of their top playerspoached to play for the Tiwi side.There is also dissent amongst the Tiwiranks from stalwarts loyal to the StMarys team, which was establishedjust after World War Two specifically tocater for Tiwi players.Drugs and alcohol are considered asthe major threat to the team’s historymakingobjective. The pre-season peptalks include an all day workshop ondrug and alcohol management and atthe end of the day the players pledgethemselves to abstinence from drugsand strict limits on their drinking.Episode TwoTop of the LadderThe Tiwi Bombers are riding highafter a run of wins that has putthem at the top of the ladder. Theirreputation for fast, intuitive footballhas seen them take on the best thatthe Darwin competition has to offerand to walk away with easy victories.An unexpected side effect of theirlong winning streak becomes evidentas discipline lapses. There is poorattendance at training and a numberof players, including the leadershipgroup, break their commitment tomanage their alcohol use and abstainfrom drugs.Geography is another obstacle. Thesquad is made up of players fromthree different communities separatedby hundreds of kilometres of dirt roadsthat in the wet season turn to mudand become impassable. Although theclub is backed by some serious sponsorship,most of it goes on airfaresgetting the players to Darwin everyweekend to play. They have also hiredin two ‘talls’ from Queensland (tallplayers to compete in the ruck for thehigh balls). These players are based inDarwin and fly out to the Tiwi Islandsonce a week to train with the squad.As we approach mid-season the pressand the crowds are becoming highlycritical of the Tiwi Bombers and theplayers and club officials react to thelack of support. The Tiwi Bombers arelosing their grip and it starts to showon the scoreboard.Episode ThreeThe FinalsA crisis looms large when the TiwiBombers’ previous invincibility eludesthem. Too much drinking and not turningup for training has seen them slidefrom the unbeatable team to a raggedmob struggling to hold onto their spotin the finals. Club officials are deeplyworried about the team’s prospects asthey enter the finals.When the Tiwi Bombers make it to thesecond round of the finals their coachingstaff, their supporters and theirfamilies are all on the edge of theirseats wondering if they can pull off thedream of making it to the Grand Finalin their first year of competition. It’s ahair-raising ride and at the end of theday the players are the only ones whocan determine their fate.On the Thursday night after trainingsome of the players can’t resist therare opportunity for a night on thetown. They hit the nightclub strip inDarwin and turn up for training nextday trying hard to hide their hangovers.It happens again on the Fridaynight, the night before their suddendeath semi-final. With the two cocaptainsEdward Darcy and ThomasSimon carrying injuries and the squadin disarray things don’t look good forthe Tiwi dream team.• Detailed episode synopses can befound at .SCREEN EDUCATION3

About the filmmakerSteven McGregor | DirectorSteven McGregor’s previous creditsas a director include My Brother Vinnie(2006),5 Seasons (2004), Cold Turkey(2002), De-evolution (2001), TheWatchers (2000) and Willigens Fitzroy(2000).Director’s StatementGrowing up as a kid in Darwin I alwayswent to the Umpires Carnival whichheralded the start of the AFL footballseason in Darwin. The attraction?To watch the Tiwi Island footballers.Every year they sent a team to Darwinto compete and people would flockto their games. Their pace, their flairand the screamers (high marks) theytook held us in awe. During the halftime breaks, me and my cousins wouldgo onto the oval for a kick and throwscreamers trying to emulate the TiwiIslander footballers. The way theyplayed, was how football should beplayed.My mother and six of her thirteenbrothers and sisters grew up onthe Tiwi Islands, at Garden Point onMelville Island. She was taken there tobe raised by the Catholic Church. Mymother says she has some of her bestand worst memories from growingup on the mission but the ones shecherishes most are the friendships shemade with the other children. Friendshipsthat endure to this day, as mymother says, ‘We were the only familywe had.’The Tiwi Islands and football havebeen a part of me all my life and whenI was approached to direct the seriesI jumped at it. It was an opportunity tocelebrate the passion that the Tiwi Islandershave for the game and attemptto illustrate where this passion comesfrom. I could use a lot of big wordsto try to explain how the Tiwi peoplefeel about football but I won’t, they aremad for the game.The perfect vehicle for this explorationwas the admittance of a Tiwi sidein the Darwin competition, the TiwiBombers. In season 2007–2008 theymade their debut. High expectationswere held for them, they might winthe premiership in their first season. Afeat that has never been achieved inDarwin let alone around Australia.A Hollywood ending, could they do it?For me this created drama, we had astake. In the minds of the players thisis their pre-determined destiny, this istheir birthright, come to the mainlandand flog all the ‘pretty boy Darwinsides’. This dramatic element establishedthe style the series would take.I approached it in a dramatic form, thethree-act structure. The first episodewould be the set up, the second theemotional journey and the third theresolution.In terms of point of view, I wanted it tocome from the players in the side andwe needed characters who were ableto be articulate but also hold currencywithin the framework of the team andthe Tiwi Islands. Our main storytelleris the captain Thomas Simon who issupported by his co-captain EdwardSCREEN EDUCATION4

Darcy. These two men have grown upwith each other, as Thomas says, ‘Heused to come around my house andsteal my toys’. Theirs is a bond that isevident on the screen. There are othersupport characters who underpin thestory and deal with issues that impacton the team structure but Thomas andEdward are the primary voices.While we wanted to celebrate the TiwiBombers it was important to look atfootball in a social context and howthe players are seen as role models.Rather then have a plethora of talkinghead experts from outside the teamstructure I wanted it to come fromwithin the team. The team is a microcosmof the Tiwi Islands and I felt wecould explore the social issues of substanceabuse within the team structureand their journey over the courseof the season. The Tiwi Islands is aparadise but beneath the surface laysproblems that beset most Indigenouscommunities around Australia. Weexplore these issues through our maincharacters, which imbues the storieswith truth. No talking head experts butfrom within.on their homelands capturing themat work and play, work being on thefootball field. After a shaky start theTiwi Bombers became the team tobeat, but then things started to slideand they got a bit cocky and then thecritics kicked in having their ten centsworth. Which I suppose is understandableas not everyone was happy withthe inclusion of the Tiwi Bombers. Theperception that the Bombers receivedthousands of dollars and enviabledraft concessions was hotly debatedamongst officials from other Darwinclubs. So the season had everything.Did they win the grand final? You’llhave to watch the series.• Source: .Tiwi IslandsThe Tiwi Islands are situated eightykilometres north of Darwin in theArafura Sea. There are two islands,Bathurst Island and Melville Islandwith a total land mass of 8320 squarekilometres.The first permanent European settlementon the islands was a Britishmilitary fort established in 1824. Fiveyears later the British abandoned thefort. In 1911 Francis Xavier Gsell establisheda Roman Catholic Mission atNguiu in 1911. The mission still playsan active part in the life of most TiwiIslanders today.The Tiwi Islands are now an AboriginalReserve, and all businesses on theisland are Tiwi owned, The Tiwi IslandsLocal Government oversees themanagement of the four communitieson the Tiwi Islands. Four CommunityManagement Boards, representingNguiu, Pirlangimpi, Milikapiti and Wurankuwu,advise the Tiwi Islands LocalGovernment about the running of theircommunities.NguiuNguiu with a population of approximately1450 people is located on thesouth east corner of Bathurst Island.PilangimpiPirlangimpi with a population of approximately335 people is located onthe north-west coast of Melville Island.MilikapitiMilikapiti with a population of approximately400 people is located on thenorthern coast of Melville Island.WurankuwuWurankuwu Outstation with a populationof approximately fifty people islocated about fifty kilometres west ofNguiu on Bathurst Island.I didn’t want this series to be anotherstory about ‘poor drunken Aboriginals’.We have enough of those. While notshying away from substance abuseissues and youth suicide I wanted tomake a story which will inspire people,inspire kids. Not one which tells themhow fucked their life is. I want kids towatch this and say, ‘That’s deadly, Iwant to go and throw some screamers’.There is room for stories wherewe can celebrate and be entertained;this is one of those stories.We followed the team through theseason and spent time with themSCREEN EDUCATION5

Season 2007/2008Round 1: 13 October 2007Tiwi Bombers v St MarysRound 11: 22 December 2007Tiwi Bombers v NightcliffRound 15: 26 January 2008Tiwi Bombers v St MarysRound 16: 2 February 2008Tiwi Bombers v PalmerstonRound 17: 9 February 2008Tiwi Bombers v PalmerstonRound 17: 9 February 2008Tiwi Bombers v Southern DistrictsQualifying Final: 23 February 2008Tiwi Bombers v St Mary’s1st Semi-final: 1 March 2008Tiwi Bombers v WaratahMore than a gameFootball is serious business in theTiwi Islands. The Tiwi Island FootballLeague (TIFL) fields eight teams eachseason.The Tiwi Islands is said to have thehighest participation rate of anycommunity in Australia in AustralianRules Football. At present about 500Tiwi Islanders play in regular footballcompetitions arranged for boys andgirls and for men and women on bothMelville and Bathurst Islands.national/a-team-in-big-leaguekickstarts-hope-on-troubled-tiwiislands/2006/10/12/1160246262878.html>.• More than just a footy match, the TiwiIsland Football League’s grand finalday is a massive gathering of TiwiIslanders and mainland Australians. Itis the biggest day on the Tiwi Islandscalendar.• What do the images reveal aboutthe community and their devotion tofootball?• What’s in it for the players? As aclass, identify and discuss how theplayers benefit from being on theteam.• What does In A League Of TheirOwn tell us about the value of teamsport?• What moments prove Thomas Simonand Edward Darcy’s dedication to theteam? Do you think their efforts areinstrumental in keeping the team ontrack?The coaches• ‘For Tiwi Island people football is areligion.’– Thomas Simon• Compile a list of moments and statementsthat prove this claim to betrue?• What does football offer the people ofthe Tiwi Islands?• Newspaper articles from the timewhen the Tiwi Bombers joinedthe NTFL offer an insight intothe importance of football forthe Tiwi island community. Read‘A team in big league kickstartshope on troubled Tiwi Islands’ at

Team 1: Your task is to argue thatfootballers are not good role models.Team 2: Your task is to argue thatfootballers are good role models.Each team takes it in turns topresent their views to the class in themanner of a debate.You should draw on In A League OfTheir Own, other texts and real worldexamples to prove your claims.Tradition• ‘You can see the skill level of theTiwi Bombers is better than anyother team in the competition.’– CommentatorWhat style of football do the Tiwibombers play? Watch the match playand training sessions, consider theviews of the coaches and listen to theviews of the commentators to helpshape your response.• How good are the Tiwi Bombers?Create a sports report that evaluatesthe strengths and weaknesses of theteam.• Based on the games shown andthe views expressed by the team,coaches, club officials and commentators,write a review of the Bombers’season.• Winners are grinners• ‘We’ve worked too hard to get hereand we are not going to throw itaway.’Questions to consider:• Why do the Tiwi Bombers want towin?• Are the Tiwi Bombers tough enoughto win?• How do the Tiwi Bombers celebratevictory?• How do the Tiwi Bombers facedefeat?Role Models‘We’re footballers, but we’re Tiwi islandersfirst, we’re role models for thenext generation.’– Thomas Simon• Do you think the Tiwi Bombers arerole models for others?• Kick to kick:• Divide the class into two teams.‘You’ve got a reputation to live up to,names before you who have playedwell.’– Maurice Rioli‘To play St Marys in our first game washard. With our shared history it wasjust like playing family.’– Thomas SimonBrother John Pye is credited with introducingthe Tiwi Islanders to footballin the 1940s. The St Marys footballclub was established in 1951. Theclub was established to give Tiwi menworking in Darwin an avenue to playfootball. It was regarded as a given – ifyou were from the Tiwi Islands youplayed for St Marys. It is a history thatthe Tiwi Bombers are proud of.‘They should have stayed with theirown club, really, because St Mary’swas formed for the Tiwi people.’– Jack LongHave the Tiwi Bombers betrayed StMarys as Jack Long suggests?– Thomas Simon• Up for discussion:Using the panel format of most televisionshows about football, create adiscussion of victory and defeat.SCREEN EDUCATION10

The dream team‘Just imagine if we were in the NTFL,that’s the stuff we would say to eachother when we were kids and nowwe’re here.’‘We knew that no one else couldmake our dream a reality. It was up tous. History was ours for the taking.’– Thomas SimonOver the last ten years, Tiwi Islandershave broken with tradition andstarted to play with other Darwinclubs by choice or because theywere recruited. In 2006, the timearrived for a Tiwi side to stand on itsown two feet and field a team in theDarwin competition.• Use the following statements to discusswhy the Tiwi Islanders wanteda team of their own.‘It’s been a long time coming.For the Tiwi Bombers to becomea reality in our generation is justawesome.’‘We are living the dream of ourgrandfathers and wear thisjumper with pride.’‘We’ve all grown up together andto be part of this team means livingour dream, a dream we sharewith our community.’The challenges‘At the moment we’re probably theonly club that has to spend one hundredand twenty thousand dollars ayear on airfares … it’s not as if we’vegone out to sponsors and takenmoney off other clubs … the moneythat the Bombers have brought in …is new money.’– Brenton Toy‘Darwin sides train as a team twoto three times a week. We train asa full squad once a week, at Nguiuon Bathurst Island. We’d like toget together more but it’s basicallyimpossible.’– Thomas Simon‘… we come from clans and wecome from tribes and stuff and we’vegot responsibilities over here as well… we’ve got huge responsibilities,you know, to represent our familieswell. Whether it’s through our cultureor through football.’– Thomas Simon‘… we’ve got to be tougher …’– Maurice Rioli• Use these claims to initiate a discussionof the challenges that face theclub and the players.The opposition‘You could really call them the modernday franchise …’– Thomas Simon• Brenton Toy claims that the TiwiBombers bring ‘something unique’to the NTFL. Do you agree?‘Our blokes come from three communitiesspread over two islandcovering 8,000 square kilometre. It’snot ideal but it’s our reality. For meand the other players from MelvilleIsland it’s a two hour round trip bycar and boat.’– Thomas Simon‘Then we’ve got Darwin based playersflying over every few weeks totrain with us. On game day it’s thesame story. Traveling here, flying toDarwin, play and then fly back.’– Thomas Simon– Adrian MoscheniSome claim that the Tiwi Islandshave had an easy ride into the competition.• The Tiwi Bombers have their critics.How do they regard the Tiwi Bombers?Are their criticisms valid? Considerthe opinions of the followingpeople in shaping your response:• Mark Motlap – Nightcliff coach• Jack Long – former St Marys player• Adrian Moscheni – St MaryspresidentSCREEN EDUCATION11

• Vic Ludwig – former St Marys president• How do the players react to the criticism?• The Tiwi Bombers compete againstDarwin, Nightcliff, Palmerston, SouthernDistricts, St Marys, Wanderersand Waratah in the NTFL.Work with others to find out moreabout one of the clubs. Use Power-Point to present an overview of theclub that your group has selected.Begin your research by visiting: http://www.fullpointsfooty.net/afl_northern_territory.htmHall of fameThe Tiwi Islands have produced AustralianFootball League (AFL) playersincluding Maurice Rioli, Dean Rioli,Michael Long, Edmund Johnson andDavid Kantilla.Austin Wonaeamirri created his ownpiece of football history when hebecame the first Tiwi Bomber to bedrafted to an AFL club. Originally fromthe community of Milakapiti on MelvilleIsland, about 100km north of Darwin,Wonaeamirri has joined the MelbourneDemons.• Find out more about the Tiwi Islanderswho have played in the AFL.Compile a set of football cards thatprovide a profile of each man’s sportingachievements.Off field‘I suppose it’s a big responsibility, it’soff field as well, you know, gettingthe boys ready during the week youknow, and getting them to training andbasically getting them to look afterthemselves.’‘Alcohol is a problem.’– Edward Darcy– Brenton Toy‘It’s up to us to learn from our mistakes,both on and off the field aswell.’– Thomas Simon• The Tiwi Bombers devise their owncode of conduct. Do you think it isa wise idea to institute a set of rulesto regulate player behaviour off thefield? Do the players take the codeseriously?• What temptations come with success?Go hard or go home‘It’s do or die.’– Edward Darcy‘We want the grand final. It has neverbeen achieved by a team in its firstseason.’– Thomas SimonDo you think the Tiwi Bombers areambitious?Just before Christmas the team’sfortunes falter. The Tiwi Bombersrealise that they can’t coast throughthe season.• What goes wrong for the Tiwi Bombers?• ‘Our whole season came down tothis one game. We win we haveanother chance, we lose it’s all over.’‘Looking back on the season it wasa long one. We had expectations ofwinning the flag in our first seasonbut we didn’t, better sides beat uson the day, and to be honest weweren’t committed enough, simpleas that.’– Thomas SimonDo you think the pressure to win agrand final weighs too heavily on theTiwi Bombers season? Do the TiwiBombers buckle under pressure?Were their expectations too high ordid the football community’s highexpectations compromise the team’ssuccess?Production Values• As a class, discuss the demands ofmaking a documentary series like InA League Of Their Own.• What questions would you like to askSCREEN EDUCATION12

qualities of a review. Write a reviewof In A League Of Their Own thatwould appear in a television guide.• Draw on the format of a footballrecord to compile a detailed documentabout the Tiwi Bombers.• Write a team song for the TiwiBombers. In doing so, consider thepurpose of a team song. What musicor tune would you set your lyrics to?Steven McGregor, the director of In ALeague Of Their Own?• View the opening sequence of eachepisode. What does the opening sequenceof each episode tell us aboutIn A League Of Their Own? How areyou positioned as a viewer?• What is the role of the narrator in In aLeague of Their Own? Why do youthink the filmmaker chose ThomasSimon to narrate the story of theTiwi Bombers? Was it a successfuldecision?• Why do you think the filmmakerincluded the locker room scenes?• Why do you think the camera drawsour attention to the ceremony poles?• Why do you think the filmmakershows some of the players gettingback to basics by trading football forfishing?• What part does music play in In ALeague of Their Own? Do you findthe filmmaker’s choices effective?• Listen to the lyrics of Brothablack’s‘Are you with me out there’. Why doyou think the filmmakers used thissong?• Why do you think the filmmakermakes reference to past and currentpolicies and practices of white Australiain regard to Australia’s indigenouspopulation?• As a class, view a sequence from anepisode of In A League Of Their Own.Describe the setting and action ofthis sequence.What is the tone of this sequence?How is it created?What is the effect of certain shotsin this sequence?What does sound contribute to thissequence?How does this sequence contributeto our knowledge and understandingof the individuals involved inthis sequence?What important ideas are highlightedin this sequence?• The closing sequence of Episode3 shows the Tiwi Bombers on 11October 2008, embarking on theirsecond season in the NTFL. Is this aneffective way to resolve the story toldIn A League of Their Own?• Watch the trailer for In A League ofTheir Own at .Is it revealing ofthe series’ intentions? How does thetrailer promote the series?Extended Responses• ‘Football is part of the lifeblood ofthe Tiwi Islands.’ Discuss.• Spend some time researching the• Write a feature article about a teamin your area’s local football league.Before you begin writing, decide onthe publication that will feature yourarticle. When you have made yourdecision, think about your likely audienceand the format of your article.Use vocabulary and adopt a tonethat best suits the publication thatyou have chosen. Locate appropriateimages to include in your article. Askyour teacher to act as your editor anddon’t forget to devise an attentiondemanding headline.• Spend time talking to people whohave played, coached and supportedfootball at a local level. Film theinterviews and edit the interviews tocreate a short documentary.• Premiere the class documentary at aschool assembly.• Do you think that there should be anAFL team based in the Northern Territory?Debate this subject in class.• ‘Game day is always hard, thenerves kick in, you try to keep yourselfbusy, listen to music, chill outwith the lads, anything to take yourmind off the game, but it’s alwaysthere simmering just below thesurface …’– Thomas SimonHave you ever experienced the anxietythat Thomas acknowledges is part andparcel of game day? Create a pieceof writing that describes the occasionand how you felt.SCREEN EDUCATION13

DVD ExtrasThe In A League Of Their Own DVDprovides Educational Resourcesto extend students’ knowledge andunderstanding of how to maintaina healthy lifestyle.Onlinehttp://www.inaleagueoftheirown.com.auThe In A League Of Their Own websiteprovides information about the series,as well as access to informationabout nutrition, exercise and lifestyleissues, a Heroes Gallery and musicvideo clips.• Spend a lesson exploring theIn A League Of Their Own website.Discuss what you discover witha partner.References• In A League Of Their Own pressrelease, 2009.• In A League Of Their Ownpost-production scripts, 2009.• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiwi_Bombers• http://www.fullpointsfooty.net/afl_northern_territory.htm• http://www.inaleagueoftheirown.com.au• http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/a-team-in-big-leaguekickstarts-hope-on-troubled-tiwiislands/2006/10/12/1160246262878.html• http://www.tiwiart.comSCREEN EDUCATION14

This study guide was produced by ATOM. (©ATOM)editor@atom.org.auFor more information on Screen Education magazine,or to download other free study guides,visit .For hundreds of articles on Film as Text, Screen Literacy,Multiliteracy and Media Studies,visit .SCREEN EDUCATION15