DARREN MONCRIEFF
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
MELBOURNE's Liam Jungarrayi Jurrah's journey from the desert to Australia's second most populous city is more than a story of football, says the author of a new book of the man from Yuendumu.
Bruce Hearn Mackinnon's The Liam Jurrah Story: From Yuendumu to the MCG was launched last week.
It traces the remarkable story of the the Demons' number 24 Jurrah and the many cultural, spiritual and practical obstacles he has had to overcome relocating from his home on the edge of the Gibson Desert to life in the bustling, southern capital Melbourne to realise his football dream, a dream he said began when he was very young.
Mackinnon's association with Jurrah began several years ago when Collingwood coterie group, the Industrial Magpies, of which Mackinnon is a member, began an affiliation with the Yuendumu Magpies.
That was Jurrah's original club which used to play in the Central Australian Country Cup competition in Alice Springs but which now which plays in the CAFL.
Jurrah came to the Demons via NTFL club, Nightcliff, and after a mad scramble to get his signature two days before the 2008 pre-season draft.
Before that, Jurrah played in Collingwood's VFL side for a handful of games in 2008. Mid-season, he had to return to Yuendumu to support a dying friend.
When he finally made his debut for Melbourne in round 12 in 2009, Jurrah became the first fully initiated Aboriginal man to play AFL football.
Jurrah's impact at AFL level has been immediate.
While still 'raw' in certain aspects of his game, Jurrah's debut season saw him awarded the Harold Ball Memorial Trophy as Melbourne's best first-year player. Last year, he won the AFL's 2010 Mark of the Year and in 2009 he was nominated for the Rising Star award (round 15).
"His story is worthy of a Hollywood script writer; in fact, I'm not sure even Hollywood could come up with a story quite like that of Liam Jurrah," said AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou at the book launch in Melbourne.
"I don't think any of us who've followed Liam's short but spectacular career will ever forget some of the highlights he's already provided -- his first goal, his breathtaking mark of the year in 2010 or his five goals to single-handedly win the first AFL match in Shanghai last October."
Yes, Jurrah played footy in China. That was when Melbourne and Brisbane Lions played a post-season exhibition match in Shanghai, population 23 million.
It's a story, while just 33 AFL games old, Mackinnon was keen to tell.
He told Aboriginal-Football today that Jurrah's journey had given his people, notably the young, hope.
"The kids from Yuendumu and from the many remote, especially desert, communities have been inspired by Liam's achievements," Mackinnon said. "He has given them hope that they can follow their own dreams, whether in football or in other activities.
"There's only one Liam Jurrah but there are definitely many extremely talented young footballers in remote Aboriginal communities."
But Mackinnon said Jurrah's story is more than a story of football.
"If Liam had only played one game, I would still have written this," he said. "The book is really about his journey, not football."
* The Liam Jurrah Story: From Yuendumu to the MCG
AboriginalFootball@westnet.com.au
Last Modified on 03/08/2011 20:24