Top football in the top end!

It's been said that for passionate football fans 'too much footy is not enough'. That's how the Year 2000 Northern Territory football party felt after the third Scotch visit to the Top End in April.

The party of thirty one staff and students visited Kakadu National Park and the Tiwi Islands on day trips, as well as playing two games in Darwin. And that's not to forget a Legal Studies excursion to observe the operation of Mandatory Sentencing in the Darwin Magistrates' Courts.

The Tiwi Islands visit again proved to be the defining experience of the trip. The thirty minute light plane trip over the Sea of Arafura generated excitement, and on arrival the boys found themselves embracing a totally new cultural and social experience.

Soon they were playing kick to kick with the local children as a prelude to a game which drew support from the whole community. Tiwi Island football is unique and has produced players of the calibre of current AFL stars Michael Long and Dean Rioli. Its free flowing style is a delight to watch - unless, of course, you are the opposition!

The scoreboard aside, the actual match against the Islanders proved to be a most enjoyable sporting and learning experience, and helped in the development of the Scotch squad over the tour. 'We were trying to peak for our game against the Northern Territory Under 16 squad the following day, and win our first ever game in the Northern Territory', squad coach Mr Chris Apel commented.

The Scotch boys, playing for the first time as a team, had been defeated by a more seasoned NT squad early in the tour, but were confident that they could improve in the return match. And indeed they did under lights, to record an excellent, if inaccurate 26 point victory.

'The boys were a credit to the school in all respects, and we would like to feel that the tour has cemented itself as an important element of Scotch life.'

Dr Robert Smith