Joining countrymen start of a new phase for Shane Tipuamantamerri
WAFL premiership player Shane Tipuamantamerri is revelling in the opportunity to play semi-professional football with his people for the first time.
The Tiwi Islander has joined his countrymen at NTFL club Tiwi Bombers for the 2008/09 season and played in Round 1 at Darwin's Marrara Oval two weeks ago.
Still residing in Perth, Tipuamantamerri will play every second game for the Tiwi side until after the Christmas break. His next outing comes in Round 3 this weekend. His first match for the Bombers was against Waratah where he played at as a junior.
While Souths hadn't offered the 27-year-old a contract for next season and beyond -- although they have left the door open for a possible return -- the move to the Bombers is the start of a new phase in Tipuamantamerri's career that saw him leave Darwin chasing his football dreams as a teenager in 1999.
The solidly built midfielder, who grew up playing for Imalu on the islands as a kid, took his talents south to SANFL club Glenelg and played two seasons with the Bays from 1999.
He was lured west to join South Fremantle where he’s played just 68 games since 2001.
"The goal first up is to win the first premiership with the Bombers and to be part of its foundation for a new generation of players," Tipuamantamerri, who won a flag with South Fremantle in 2005, said yesterday.
Tipuamantamerri managed just two games with the Bulldogs this year because of injury. He spent most of the 2008 season in recovery then broke his toe two games into his return, so the 'southern' football season may as well have been his 'northern' pre-season.
"The general soreness is gone and I'm feeling good; I'm back to normal fitness again," he said.
"You sort of enjoy footy a bit here. The WAFL is more professional and structured whereas at home it's a bit more enjoyable."
Triumph soured by nasty injury
THE 2005 season was Tipuamantamerri's career high point. He played 22 games for Souths and won a premiership when the Bulldogs defeated Claremont in the grand final.
But a broken leg while playing for NT in the Charles Perkins national carnival a few weeks later ended a fine year on a sour note. He missed all of 2006 following complications with his recovery.
At his best, Tipuamantamerri would scorch his opponents with blistering pace and have the poise to collect the ball with the safest of hands before firing off 'rockets' to his team-mates.
Jason Burton, a former team-mate and now football manager at South Fremantle, spoke on what Tipuamantamerri brought to the club.
"On the field, he was definitely a lot different to most players in WA. He'd use his speed a lot and had lightning-quick ball control as well," Burton said.
"Being from the NT, that came natural to him. We'd often train as hard as him just to be like him.
"Off the field, you couldn't meet a happier person with a contagious smile and personality to match. He slotted in really well here."
It was at the 2005 Grand Final that Burton's best 'Tippa' moment came.
"We had it won," Burton recalls, "and with about five minutes to go Tippa was doing these back-flips on the sidelines. That's never happened before.
"He still has a bit to offer. He hasn't really lost his speed whenever he's fit and ready to go. He said he wants to play up there over summer and we haven't ruled out his coming back."
Tipuamantamerri and team-mate Keren Ugle worked hard with the club's Indigenous development.
"He's always been good for the young Indigenous kids in our zone, looking after them, absolutely loved doing that," Burton said.
"Tippa and Keren Ugle loved those NAIDOC games, too, where we'd wear the different guernseys; they were a big part of promoting that."
"I've got great memories of a great club of great people there and that grand final win was something special," Tipuamantamerri said of his time at Souths.
"But I might be finished there now. It's pretty sad. I just had a bad run with injuries so it was frustrating."
Business partner in Buli-J
TIPUAMANTAMERRI seems to have lent his magical football touch rub off into the business world.
He is a business partner in
Buli-J, an emerging clothing line of 'urban streetwear'.
"It's based in Perth and it just started this year," he said.
"We've done some marketing in Darwin and a shop wants to stock our stuff. It's starting to go crazy."
DARREN MONCRIEFF
AboriginalFootball@westnet.com.au
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Last Modified on 22/10/2008 03:29