AFLNT is excited to announce the Round 12 curtain raiser will be a historic matchup between 2022/23 TIO NTFL Premiers Waratah Football Club and a TIO Central Australian Football League (CAFL) Representative Side.
The match will be played on June 3 at TIO Stadium before the Gold Coast Suns take on the Adelaide Crows for premiership points.
The CAFL, which celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2022, has a rich history with champions on and off the field. Ex Kangaroo and current AFLNT Regional Academy Coach Matt Campbell will coach the CAFL team and welcomed the return of a CAFL representative team for the first time since 2008. “It’s a massive opportunity for local players to showcase not only their talent, but also the talent across the CAFL. Being able to pull on the CAFL guernsey for the first time in a long time will be a great recognition for players and will bring lots of excitement.”
AFLNT Hall of Famer and CEO of Lhere Artepe Aboriginal Corporation Graeme Smith reiterated the importance of players being able to pull on a CAFL guernsey when coming on board as a sponsor of the CAFL team. “Footy is a great way to engage people and support healthy lifestyles. Having a CAFL rep side in 2023 will be a great source of pride for the town and is an important part of strengthening the CAFL competition.”
In March this year, Waratah’s Men’s Premier League team broke their 23-year premiership drought after beating minor premiers Southern Districts in a blockbuster TIO NTFL Grand Final.
Waratah Head Coach Ryan Ayers said despite being in their off-season, his club was looking forward to the opportunity. “We have strong connections through Alice Springs and know how proud they are of their competition. Our players will enjoy being part of the AFL stage, and seeing the CAFL logo back in representative duties.”
Waratah and the CAFL last met at Anzac Oval in 1967, where the match resulted in win for the Alice Springs side by 60 points. Best on the day going to Lenny ‘The Bear’ O’Brien and Surfy Battista.
Head of AFL NT Sam Gibson said “Representative fixtures are a great way to showcase and celebrate the clubs, leagues and communities that are at the forefront of community football across the NT. We saw it last year with a fantastic game between teams from Gove and the Tiwi Islands and we’re really excited to see it this year with the CAFL taking on Waratah.”
Further information around match times and ticket information to be released in the coming weeks.