THE opportunity to play in front of a home crowd is an exciting prospect for Mallee Tigers netballers.
The Indigenous football and netball club, comprising players from Sunraysia and beyond, has become a powerhouse in recent years at , statewide senior and junior football and netball carnivals for the Victorian Aboriginal Community Services Association.
Under 17 and A Grade netballers, as well as a senior football side, will take part in the weekend’s inaugural Dreamtime at the P at Mildura Sporting Precinct.
Playing in their own backyard, rather than travelling away to compete, is viewed as a chance spread the message of the club as well show home fans how well they play.
“I think a lot of people in Mildura and the Mallee don’t realise we’re competing every year, and we have some really strong talent so it’s going to be a good chance for us to showcase that,” A Grader and Under 17 coach Melissa Kennedy said.
“We all know the Indigenous players that play for their clubs in SFNL and the Millewa but when we come together, we’re a really strong force.
“What it does is allow us to come together as an Indigenous community where as maybe some people might not otherwise have the opportunity otherwise to travel and play with others.
“We’re also promoting health and wellbeing, healthy lifestyles and the benefits of sport, which we see as something really important to pass on to the next generation.
“For some of our more talented players, maybe it gets a bit more exposure, too. We’ve had players previously go off and play in Darwin leagues after carnivals.”
Kennedy said the Dreamtime at the P concept is a fantastic initiative and it could be a catalyst for MSP to host future carnivals.
“I think it’s a fantastic idea and I’d love to see become a regular thing every year,” she said.
“To see the mob come down from Northern Territory is awesome, but it’s also for us because we’ve been playing every year in the Indigenous state competition and we always travel and never get to play here.
“Since the MSP has come alive, it’s been a goal of ours to host the carnival here, so we’ll be putting in submissions to hold the junior carnival in the next couple of years and the senior tournament potentially afterwards.”
Mallee Tigers have already formed an alliance with Super Netball club Melbourne Vixens and Netball Victoria, with the Tigers potentially being involved in the Vixens’ next Indigenous round.
For Under 17 netballer Tiah Kennedy, Dreamtime at the P is an experience she can’t wait for.
“I’m very excited because I’ve never had the opportunity to play in something like this before at home,” she said.”Everyone (family, friends and supporters) is going to be there, it’s going to be good.”
Tigers Under 17 side face Sunraysia and A Grade face Millewa in Saturday’s event.
