Blak excellence front and centre at Koori knockout
Dean Widders is no stranger to the Koori Knockout and is proud of his history with the long-running NRL event he describes as “Christmas time for Blackfullas”.
The former professional rugby league player won three knockouts with the Narwan Eels, in his hometown of Armidale, NSW, in the early 2000s and more recently with the Redfern All Blacks in Sydney.
A self-described “rugby league crazy”, Widders says the best part of the weekend is the games and watching NRL stars and young up-and-comers participate in one of Australia’s biggest Indigenous gatherings.
“You just see unbelievable talent,” the Anaiwan man told AAP.
“You see NRL World Champion players like Latrell Mitchell and Jack Wighton go up against a young 16- or 17-year-old boy from the bush and sometimes that bush kid can put it over the legends of the game. I love that.”
But the knockout is about so much more than the rugby league.
“It’s a celebration of culture,” Widders said.
“It’s about people playing for their communities and their family and to represent where they’re from.”
As well as a celebration of the sport and culture, Widders said the weekend was a time of connection for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who travel from across the state to attend.
This year, the crowds are converging on Bathurst for this knockout weekend.
Although his playing days are behind him, Widders is still deeply involved in the knockout and will be in the commentating box for NITV over the next two days.
“These days a lot of us live off-Country so we don’t live where all our family and all our people are,” he said.
“So often the times that Aboriginal people come together, because of things that happen in our communities, we usually only come together for negative things like funerals.
“To come together on a positive note, where you can meet people from all over the state that you haven’t seen in ages, connect with your family back home … see the strength in Aboriginal people, in something positive we created ourselves, seeing people empowered, showing Blak excellence.”
The 52nd Koori Knockout is being held in Bathurst until Monday and the finals will be broadcast live on NITV.
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