An outback football club that was denied a premiership last year when a drunk goal umpire scandal rocked the league has stormed to a grand final victory with a 90-point win over its desert rival.
The Halls Creek Hawks took on the Kururrungku Roos in the East Kimberley Football League (EKFL) season decider at Kununurra Oval at the weekend, winning 20.11–131 to 6.5–41.
It was the culmination of a difficult season for the Hawks, after a stinging one-point premiership loss in 2021.
The Hawks threatened to exit the league when the WA Football Commission had to investigate the game, when a goal umpire who officiated the match was later found to be intoxicated.
But returning in 2022, Hawks' strength and conditioning coach 'Big' Darren Foyne said the atmosphere was different.
"Right from the get-go the lads had a lot to play for," he said.
"There are personal losses but they were encouraged to play for each other."
Off-field challenges
The town of Halls Creek, four hours south of Kununurra, has also endured significant challenges off-the-field, including a spate of devastating youth suicides.
"The context of the environment here in Halls Creek – there's been a lot of death, a lot of sadness, but these boys use football to gain a bit of comfort and they use each other," Foyne said.
"The boys' attitude on the field and towards training reflects the heart of this community.
"The love for football is second to the love they have for each other."
'Relief and redemption'
Tim Lees is a local sports commentator and schoolteacher. He said it was a passionate win for the side.
"Missing out on the grand final last year in controversial circumstances and they had a death in their squad this year as well … there was a fair bit of emotion going through that group," he said.
"Emotion can be a strong motivator … there was a real feeling of relief and redemption."
Earlier in the season, the league faced significant controversy after another EKFL side – the Port Wyndham Crocs Football Club — took a stand after years of massive driving distances home after games.
Commute a 'massive effort'
Teams are spread across 55,000 square kilometres, with games played in Wyndham, Kununurra — 85 kilometres east of Wyndham — and Halls Creek, a further 350km south.
The significant distances have posed ongoing challenges for the Kururrungku Roos, who were unsure whether the team would be able to source a bus to ferry players to and from the grand final in the lead-up to the big match.
"The challenges these desert sides come up against, the Kururrungku boys have a red dirt oval and travelling to grass at Kununurra Oval is a 5.5-hour trip," Mr Lees said.
"That's a mammoth effort to get your side across and back again."
New roles bring new hope
Mr Lees hoped the appointment of new dedicated WA Football Commission roles in the region would help ease some of the challenges being faced by the teams.
"The view is, I believe, to have full-time staff members out there for the first time in Halls Creek and Kununurra to help manage the league and get it up to a more professional standard," he said.
"Volunteers do the best job that they can but if you can get some professional employees from the Footy Commission to oversee and assist. It'd be magnificent for footy up here to support these fringe desert sides.
"Without them the league would be far less … and to have 12 teams in a competition of this distance, it's an incredible effort. I don't think there would be any league like it Australia-wide."
