Sport
20 June, 2025
Lions celebrate Indigenous round
Last Saturday, the Great Western Lions hosted their annual Indigenous round when they welcomed the Penshurst Bombers to their home ground. This is held to honour their Indigenous players at the club.
Written by Adrian Peters
Before the game, Community leader Paul Kelly welcomed everybody to the ground and spoke about the local Indigenous tribes that occupied the land and the possum football that was played in the area.
Part of the ceremony included him playing the didgeridoo and the Lions wore a special guernsey designed by Paul, in collaboration with their players from the Northern Territory.
The guernsey was colourful with a yellow sun as the centrepiece.
The game was played in cold conditions with little or no breeze. Early in the first quarter Indigenous player, Nathaniel Cooper kicked the goal of the day when on the southern side of the ground he evaded three Bombers players, took two bounces and goaled from deep in the forward pocket.
This however was the end of the Lions highlights reel and they were no match for the Bombers who were just too good. The Bombers were able to kick multiple goals in each quarter and went on to kick 30 goals to the Lions four.
For the Lions, Jayden McCartney on the wing was their best player with Alexander Bonner in the ruck and Josh Arkell at centre half-forward.
Written by Chris Graetz
While the loss was disappointing, the main part of the day was honouring the Ingineous players and heritage.
“I have to give credit to Penshurst, they were so strong, so organised and they stuck to their game structure and plan, and we didn’t do that,” Nigel Sibson, coach of Great Western said.
“There were a few pleasing aspects of the game. Jayden McCartney played his best game for the club on the wing, and Alexander Bonner was excellent in the ruck again.
“Riley Ford, a 15-year-old kid who has been playing some senior games also played the best senior game of his career and was one of our best players which was also pleasing to see.”
“I spoke to the group at the end of the game and said to them that while the loss was disappointing, every now and then you may play a game where the narrative is bigger than the game itself, and this was one of those days,” Sibson said.
“The focus was on what the day meant for the club. All our Indigenous players commented that they already felt welcomed at the club, but the day made them feel entwined with the club, being able to celebrate our relationship with them.
“Despite a disappointing loss, we can celebrate our relationship with those boys, and it was a great positive day for the club.”
Tomorrow, the Lions travel to Glenthompson Recreation Reserve to take on Glenthompson/Dunkeld, another tough match.
“They look like they are having a strong year,” Sibson said.
“I think last year we had indifferent results and the second time we played them it was a nine-point result on a day where it was our best team performance. We will take confidence from that even though it’s a new year and both lineups are different.
“We will reinforce going back to our game style and structure and if we manage to do that, we will stay in games and if we can do that for all four quarters, we can come away with the win. It’s all about the belief in game style.”
NETBALLERS HAVE TOUGH DAY AT THE OFFICE
Great Western A-Grade netballers had a tough day at the office against one of the top two teams in Penshurst, losing 59-31.
Without goal shooter Kim Hay, who will be out indefinitely with an injury, 14-year-old Ruby Thomas scored 24 goals, while Sarah Mills scored seven.
Lions coach Tessa O’Callaghan said that Ruby was sensational.
“Ruby played a sensational game, and you can’t fault her for what she is doing,” O’Callaghan said.
“She had to contend with one of the best defenders in the league, and they weren’t soft on her, as they treated her like anyone else, and the fact that she could keep pushing and landing those shots was great.
“We are incredibly lucky to be able to pull players from our junior pool, and to have someone as strong enough physically, and mentally to have a crack and play well is pretty big for someone of that age.”
Despite the loss, O’Callaghan said the team can take a lot from the game. “I think the girls put up an incredible fight as Penshurst are a well-tuned team and the girl's mentality was good as we didn't step down from the challenge like we may have in the past,” O’Callaghan said.
“One of the takeaways is they knew how to shut down our front end, so we need to adapt when that happens.
“They double-teamed Monique Dowling, and she does a lot of work out the front for us and is a key figure, so we need to adapt to those situations. She did a good job for what she was up against.”
The Lions are sitting sixth on the ladder and will travel to Glenthompson to take on Glenthompson/Dunkeld who are sitting fifth on the same amount of wins, with five.
O’Callaghan knows the importance of the match.
“It will be make or break for us, especially with some of the injuries we have at the moment,” O’Callaghan said.
“We are trying to pull our team together and keep it strong and Glenthompson/Dunkeld are good at producing turnovers and scoring off them.
“We need to do that in return, just as well, and if we can do that, it will go a long way to winning the match."
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