WA players gear up for ‘Dreamtime at the G’ curtain-raiser

Sixteen Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men aged 18 to 24 years will represent Western Australia in a curtain-raiser match to the Dreamtime at the G clash between Essendon and Richmond on Saturday night.

The match is part of the 2018 AFL Rio Tinto Footy Means Business program which acts as a fantastic platform for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men to showcase their talents on the footy field and develop leadership skills to become positive role models.

The two teams will be led by coaches Courtenay Dempsey and Josh Hill.

Now in its eighth year, the week-long program offers players incredible opportunities including visiting both Essendon and Richmond football clubs, Channel 7 studios and the Marngrook Footy Show before playing in the televised curtain-raiser.

AFL General Manager Game Development Andrew Dillon said the Rio Tinto Footy Means Business program is a great opportunity for the young men.

“The AFL Rio Tinto Footy Means Business Program recognises that Australian Football helps develop transferable skills that can be taken into any workplace as well as back into local football clubs and communities,” Dillon said.

“The Footy Means Business Program has become a real standout program for young men and we thank Rio Tinto for their continued support of all our Indigenous programs.”

The curtain-raiser match will be streamed LIVE on the AFL website at afl.com.au from 4pm (EST).

DEMPSEY SQUAD

Head Coach: Courtenay Dempsey
Assistant Coaches: Liam Anthony and Matthew Coops

WA: Malik Bin Hitam, Zackery Phillips, Tere Teio-Yarran, Wendell Saylor, Troy Jones, Jai Nadjamerrek, Gabriel Parfitt, Chilton Yarran, Dylan Hansen
NT: Kane Sevallos-Seden, Gapirri Burarrwanga, Michealis McMasters, Samuel Gondarra
QLD: Dominic Cockatoo-Lui, Matthew Hellmuth, Boy-O Christie, Arnold Conway
SA: Ainsley Walker
TAS: Liam Davies
VIC: William Smith, Anthony Walker, Kyle Thomas

HILL SQUAD

Head Coach: Josh Hill
Assistant Coaches: Hayden Rickard and Andrew Krakouer

WA: Jayeden Quartermaine, Farron Parfitt, Jaimon Alone, Malcolm Brown, Isaiah Walley-Stack, Kendall Taylor, Tristan Little
NT: Liam McDonald, Lee Mununggurr, Mark Kurungaiyi
QLD: Hakeem Flowers, Debrize Mooka, Phillip Stumer-Hooper, Khyle Ugle, Ratu Tevita Niurua
SA: Michael Drover, Joshua Coombs
TAS: Jesse Purton, Nicholas Hammersley, Kayden Deverell
VIC: Trevor John Wanganeen, Yemurraki Egan, Dylan Potter