Apologies this was published after the filming mentioned below, due to worldfootynews.com being in the process of major site maintenance.

Northern Territory football, and the game overall, will soon receive a boost with a new Australian movie to hit our screens in 2015. The following press release from the AFLNT details the call out to footy fans in the Northern Territory to be a part of the extras in the film, as well as being a part of the match being filmed for the movie.

WANT TO BE IN A NEW AUSSIE MOVIE WITH AN AFL LEGEND?

NT AFL fans will have the chance to be in a new Australian film, currently shooting in Darwin – at TIO Stadium on Saturday, June 14.

Last Cab to Darwin is Jeremy Sims’ road movie drama starring Michael Caton, whose character Rex Macrae is a cab driver who, when told he doesn’t have long to live, sets out on an epic journey from Broken Hill to Darwin.

Along the way he picks up a couple of passengers, including the character Tilly Johnson - the ‘best full forward in the history of Oodnadatta’ - played by Mark Coles Smith.

AFL legend Brian Taylor has a guest role as ‘The Coach’ of the Saints – St Mary’s Football Club, Darwin – in the film and will shoot his scenes on June 10 at TIO Stadium with players from the club.

All but the most fervent Melbourne and Port Adelaide supporters probably saw the scheduling of the Demons/Power encounter at TIO Traeger Park, Alice Springs, as a lesser match in the upcoming Indigenous Round. 

With a round that starts with a clash between Sydney and Geelong on Thursday 29th May, and then features the showcase “Dreamtime at the ‘G” clash between Essendon and Richmond on the Saturday night, one could be excused for missing the Demons v Power clash crammed in between.

World Footy News reported during last year a decision by the AFLNT (Australian Football league Northern Territory) to include the Alice Springs based club into the premier division of the NTFL. The club played half of the 2013/14 season as an extended trial after an initial four game exposure in the 2012/13 season.

On the field the Redtails certainly enjoyed some level of success. Their 2012/13 performance was heartening with three wins from their four games, including a shock win over eventual premiers, St Mary’s. Last season was not as successful on paper with just one win from their eight games, but closer inspection shows two losses by less than 10 points and only two losses by more than 50 points. The team certainly proved to be competitive over those two trials.

However, the following media release from the AFLNT states that the idea will take on a longer term planning direction for a number of reasons, delaying the club’s admittance to a permanent place in the NTFL Premier League.

The 2014 Under 15 National Kickstart Championships wound up yesterday in Coffs Harbour, NSW with the powerhouse Western Australia team, having dispatched all opponents throughout the carnival, blitzing the Northern Territory team in the Grand Final.

The carnival, played at the Coffs Harbour International Sports Park from April 11th to 16th, also featured the round robin matches and final of the South Pacific Cup (see stories below)as well as the Australia Post All Nations Cup.

The following press release from the AFLNT looks at the development of an exciting new footballing initiative for school aged players who wish to consider Australian Rules football as a personal development pathway. The Batchelor Area School is in the town of Batchelor located almost 100 kilometres south of Darwin.

NAB AFL Auskick Ambassador Shane Crawford, NT Thunder Head Coach Xavier Clarke along with Department of Education CEO Ken Davies, will today unveil the newest AFL Northern Territory's initiative at Batchelor Area School, announcing them as the first of many AFLNT Future Leaders Football Schools within the Northern Territory.

The following press release from the AFLNT details the Under 15 squad selections for the upcoming carnival in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales. As with previous seasons, many of these boys are just this step away from possible selection in the national indigenous team the Flying Boomerangs. The event will also feature teams from all other states and territories as well as the South Pacific Cup, this year featuring teams from New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the combined Oceania team selected from last year’s Oceania Cup in Fiji.

Thirty-six Territory boys will line up for the Northern Territory at the National Indigenous Kickstart Championships and the All Nations Carnival to be held simultaneously in Coffs Harbour, from April 11-16.

The St Mary’s dynasty added more silverware to an overcrowded cabinet tonight when they won the NTFL (Northern Territory Football League) 2013/14 premiership against Wanderers at TIO Stadium in Darwin. The weather threw up a temperature in the mid-thirties and almost 100% humidity, creating tough conditions for a grand-final.

Going into the match as raging hot favourites after an undefeated season, many felt that another Saint’s premiership might have been a foregone conclusion, and on face value that is probably true. But that does not adequately recognise how well Wanderers played. Over four tight quarters, the Eagles simply never gave up. Every time St Mary’s looked like breaking away, Wanderers found something to bring themselves into the game.

Picture Courtesy NT News.

Wanderers defeated Waratah Saturday night at TIO Stadium in Darwin to book a place in the 2013/14 grand-final against the raging hot favourites, St Mary’s.

The grand-final that was most likely for most of the season came about through a solid if unspectacular win to the Wanderers in the preliminary final, downing the ‘Tahs by 42 points with a score of 11 11 77 to 4 11 35.

For Wanderers it means the chance to challenge for their “lucky” thirteenth premiership since their formation in 1917. This is almost in contrast to the St Mary’s behemoth which will be aiming for back to back flags and their thirtieth flag since their inception in 1952, which would give then an almost phenomenal rate of close to one flag every two years over their 62 year history.

The GIANTS will once again celebrate cultural diversity in Western Sydney with the Many Cultures match to mark AFL Multicultural Round against Geelong at Spotless Stadium on July 19.

Auburn is the latest club from around Australia and overseas to become affiliated with the GIANTS. Recently the Dartmoor Swans became the Dartmoor GIANTS and last year Concord became the first junior club in Western Sydney to adopt the GIANTS name and colours.

AFL NSW/ACT General Manager Craig Bolton said: “The Auburn GIANTS represent what the AFL is building. An inclusive code that welcomes people from all backgrounds.