The players are on a break from training but some travelled to the red centre for a community visit.

Demons head North | Alice Springs community visits

Jack Viney, Jake Lever and Kate Hore are there for the trip but the visit must be a very special one for NGA rookie Ricky Mentha Jnr, an Alice Springs local – the first Demon Next Generation Academy product to be signed from the region and the first from the area signed to an AFL list in over a decade.

I was hearing that no Indigenous players were going to be in the most recent draft. Thankfully I guess that was wrong.

I love it that we do this stuff.

7 hours ago, Go Ds said:

I was hearing that no Indigenous players were going to be in the most recent draft. Thankfully I guess that was wrong.

Think there was 2, Ricky Mentha Jnr and Malaki Champion.

Both rookie selections though, so non selected in the main draft….

2 hours ago, DistrACTION Jackson said:

Think there was 2, Ricky Mentha Jnr and Malaki Champion.

Both rookie selections though, so non selected in the main draft….

Okay. I just know it'd be sad if all or most young indigenous players decided there were too many hassles to bother following through and  playing in the AFL.

15 minutes ago, Go Ds said:

Okay. I just know it'd be sad if all or most young indigenous players decided there were too many hassles to bother following through and  playing in the AFL.

100%. The AFL need to focus on doing more to get them involved. I remember hearing they were planning to give our NT catchment to the Suns or North? Gee I’d be annoyed given how much time and resources we’ve put into it and have only just got our first player from the Alice

The hug with Nan though…

 

You can FEEL this hug 🥹

How proud Ricky must feel having Jake and Jack and Kate and their families there.

 I love our club for making occasions like this happen. It’s invaluable. 

22 minutes ago, DistrACTION Jackson said:

100%. The AFL need to focus on doing more to get them involved. I remember hearing they were planning to give our NT catchment to the Suns or North? Gee I’d be annoyed given how much time and resources we’ve put into it and have only just got our first player from the Alice

There'll always be players from remote communities that get so homesick that they can't stay (or can't stay in an interstate team). It's the rest that the AFL can do more for. 

rick looks like the king of the kids in the photos

great to see

Wheels (an unsung(ish) hero in all this) is rolling a few kgs above his playing weight! 

There are some superb photographs in the second collection (Nyirripi?)… particularly the image of Ricky holding up the young fella with the colours in his hair (pic #20), which is just a beautiful photo regardless of the footy connection. Also, I want that guy competing with Ricky in pic #37 on our list, purely for his hairstyle… best I’ve seen since Nathan Carroll.

So great that we do this and this time of year as well. 

6 hours ago, Ghostwriter said:

How proud Ricky must feel having Jake and Jack and Kate and their families there.

 I love our club for making occasions like this happen. It’s invaluable. 

Absolute A graders premiership players.

Proud.