Tiwi Islands Football League

The Tiwi Islands Football League is an Australian rules football competition in the Tiwi Islands, Northern Territory, Australia. Australian Rules football is the most popular sport on the Tiwi Islands. The Grand Final of the TIFL is broadcast each year on ABC Northern and more recently, nationally on ABC2 and ABC.

Tiwi Islands Football League
SportAustralian rules football
Founded1969
No. of teams8
Country Australia
Most recent
champion(s)		Ranku Eagles (Eagles)
Most titlesImalu Football Club (17)
TV partner(s)ABC

Tiwi football
Action from the 2005 TIFL Grand Final between Pumarali (red and white) and Muluwurri (black and white).

The Tiwi Islands Grand Final is an event held in March each year that attracts up to 3,000 spectators and is a tourist attraction for the Northern Territory. The Tiwi Australian Football League has 900 participants out of a community of about 2600, the highest football participation rate in Australia (35%).[1] Tiwi footballers are renowned for exquisite one touch skills. Many of the players have a preference for participating barefoot. Many of the male players also play for the St Mary's Football Club in Darwin's Northern Territory Football League.

Results

Wet Season Grand Final
  • 1969/70 Tapalinga def. Pumaralli (scores not known)
  • 1970/71 Irrimaru 15.6 (96) def. Pumaralli 9.14 (68)
  • 1972/73 Imalu def. Tapalinga by 55 points (scores not known)
  • 1973/74 Imalu 12.8 (80) def. Pumaralli 8.5 (53)
  • 1974/75 Tuyu 11.8 (74) def. Imalu 10.13 (73)
  • 1975/76 Pumaralli 13.16 (94) def. Tuyu 8.12 (60)
  • 1976/77 Tapalinga 12.6 (78) def. Pumaralli 10.9 (69)
  • 1977/78 Pumaralli 14.15 (99) def. Imalu 10.9 (69)
  • 1978/79 Imalu 25.15 (165) def. Tapalinga 2.3 (15)
  • 1979/80 Pumaralli 10.16 (76) def. Taracumbi 7.10 (52)
  • 1980/81 Imalu 12.12 (84) def. Pumaralli 12.7 (79)
  • 1981/82 Imalu 20.8 (128) def. Tapalinga 8.18 (66)
  • 1982/83 Tapalinga 18.17 (125) def. Pumaralli 19.5 (119)
  • 1983/84 Imalu 16.13 (109) def. Tapalinga 15.16 (106)
  • 1984/85 Imalu 14.10 (94) def. Irrimaru 7.13 (55)
  • 1985/86 Imalu 21.3 (129) v Tapalinga 19.15 (129) DRAW
  • 1985/86 Tapalinga 24.12 (156) def. Imalu 22.3 (135) REPLAY
  • 1986/87 Tapalinga 22.7 (139) def. Pumaralli 16.13 (109)
  • 1987/88 Tapalinga 18.13 (121) def. Imalu 14.14 (98)
  • 1988/89 Imalu 18.9 (117) def. Taracumbi 11.17 (83)
  • 1989/90 Imalu 23.22 (160) def. Taracumbi 14.11 (95)
  • 1990/91 Tapalinga 14.9 (93) def. Imalu 12.8 (80)
  • 1991/92 Imalu 19.5 (119) def. Tuyu 12.10 (82)
  • 1992/93 Imalu 15.8 (98) def. Irrimaru 9.11 (65)
  • 1993/94 Imalu 22.25 (157) def. Tuyu 14.5 (89)
  • 1994/95 Tuyu 15.12 (102) def. Irrimaru 11.11 (77)
  • 1995/96 Imalu 17.9 (111) def. Tuyu 10.12 (72)
  • 1996/97 Irrimaru 13.6 (84) def. Imalu 12.6 (78)
  • 1997/98 Tapalinga 17.7 (109) def. Pumaralli 11.5 (71)
  • 1998/99 Imalu 9.8 (62) def. Ranku 3.6 (24)
  • 1999/00 Pumarrali 8.6 (54) def. Tuyu 6.12 (48)
  • 2000/01 Ranku 12.7 (79) def. Taracumbi 9.7 (61)
  • 2001/02 Tuyu 7.8 (50) def. Tapalinga 6.6 (42)
  • 2002/03 Pumaralli 11.10 (76) def. Muluwurri 7.10 (52)
  • 2003/04 Tapalinga 10.10 (70) def. Imalu 9.6 (60)
  • 2004/05 Tuyu 12.9 (81) def. Muluwurri 10.3 (63)
  • 2005/06 Pumaralli 7.7 (49) def. Muluwurri 6.8 (44)
  • 2006/07 Muluwurri 25.6 (156) def. Imalu 12.4 (76)
  • 2007/08 Imalu 12.9 (81) def. Tapalinga 10.8 (68)
  • 2008/09 Tapalinga 12.9 (81) def. Imalu 11.7 (73) [2]
  • 2009/10 Tapalinga 9.15 (69) def. Imalu 4.6 (30) [3]
  • 2010/11 Imalu 13.10 (88) def. Ranku 6.7 (43) [4]
  • 2011/12 Tuyu 12.12 (84) def. Imalu 11.5 (71) [5]
  • 2012/13 Imalu 13.7 (85) def. Tapalinga 10.9 (69)
  • 2013/14 Tuyu 13.9 (87) def. Muluwurri 12.5 (77)
  • 2014/15 Walama 7 12 54 def. Pumaralli 7 10 52 2 Points
  • 2015/16 Muluwurri 11 9 75 def. Tuyu 9 9 63
  • 2016/17 Muluwurri 8 9 57 def. Tapalinga 6 11 47
  • 2017/18 Tikilaru Dockers 8 3 51 def. Tuyu Buffaloes 6 8 44
  • 2018/19 Ranku Eagles 10.10.70 def. Tapalinga Superstars 8.13.61
  • 2019/20 Ranku Eagles 12.14.86 def. Tapalinga Superstars 9.8.62

Notable players

Many players playing for the Tiwi Islands Football League have also played for St Mary's Football club, as well as the AFL. Some of these players include the Rioli family.

Clubs
  • Imalu Football Club (Tigers)
  • Walama Football Club (Bulldogs - formerly Irrimaru Football Club)
  • Pumarali Football Club (Thunder & Lightning)
  • Tapalinga Football Club (Superstars)
  • Muluwurri Magpies (Magpie Geese - formerly Taracumbi Football Club)
  • Tuyu Football Club (Buffaloes)
  • Ranku Football Club (Eagles)
  • Melville Island Roos Football Club (Kangaroos)

Former clubs
  • Warankuwu Football Club
  • Nguiu Football Club

History

Br. John Pye and Br. Andy Howley introduced Australian rules football to Bathurst and Melville islands in 1941.

The locals quickly took to the game and the first dedicated ground was built in 1942.

In 1944, the first games consisting of a full complement of 18 players and matches according to the rule book were played.

In 1954, the St Mary's Football Club began enlisting Tiwi servicemen, and in the following year with the assistance of a majority of Tiwi players won the NTFL premiership.

In the 1960s, the most talented export of the TIFL, ruckman David Kantilla had a successful career first in the NTFL, and then reached its peak when he later became a leading player in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) with South Adelaide Football Club, where he was a member of the 1964 premiership team, and won the best and fairest and leading goal kicking awards at the club. The Tiwi Island league's top goalkicking award was later named after him.

The 1969/1970 Wet Season saw the first season of the TIFL, with 5 teams competing: Pumarali, Tapalinga, Imalu, Tuyu and Irrimaru.

From 1980–1981, Tiwi Islander Maurice Rioli won two Simpson Medals for Western Australian Football League (WAFL) club South Fremantle as best player in WAFL Grand Finals before his recruitment by Victorian Football League (VFL) in 1982, where he won the Norm Smith Medal for the best player in the 1982 VFL Grand Final. Michael Long would later also win a Norm Smith Medal, in 1993. Other Tiwi Islanders in the AFL include Adam Kerinaiua, who played three games for the Brisbane Bears in 1992 and Malcolm Lynch, who played two games for the Western Bulldogs. Although these players were not from the TIFL, the success of these players in the elite Australian competition did much to boost the popularity of Australian Rules amongst the local Tiwi Islanders.

In 2006, it was announced that a Tiwi Bombers Football Club would join the Northern Territory Football League initially known as the "Super Tiwis".[6] The team began 2006 season as the "Tiwi Bombers".[7]

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See also

References
  1. Even a cyclone can't stop the footy
  2. ABC1 Telecast 22 March *2009
  3. ABC1 Telecast 14 March *2010
  4. ABC1 Telecast 27 March *2011
  6. Northern Territory News
  7. Tiwis take a leap in their hopes for the side
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