Tiwi man nominated for top effort against BrisbaneWHILE there may not be much of Bradley Palipuaminni -- the Tiwi Islander stands at 168cm and weighs 60kg -- he is well-travelled and well-versed in winning awards. The 20-year-old earned his club NT Thunder its fourth Rising Star nomination for his efforts in the side's 53-point mauling of the Brisbane Lions in Darwin last weekend.
Palipuaminni (pictured) started out playing for Palmerston in the Northern Territory Football League as a 17-year-old and represented the Territory in one game as an over-age player in 2008. He moved across to his hometown side the Tiwi Bombers when they entered the NTFL competition in 2007/08 and in the season just gone he won the club's best & fairest award. This is on top of winning the Brother John Pye Medal for a best-on-ground performance for Tapalinga who won the Tiwi Islands Football League grand final in the same year.
In between seasons, Palipuaminni had previously played alongside former Essendon star Dean Rioli at Keilor Park and Aberfieldie in Melbourne. With the introduction of the NT Thunder into the Queensland Australian Football League he's been able to stay at home and build on his games representing the Territory. Recently, Palipuaminni represented Queensland in the State under-21 game against the Victorian Amateur Football Association.
What makes Palipuaminni's form with NT Thunder so outstanding is that he rarely trains with the club. His training consists of having a run with Tiwi team-mate Simon Munkara on the islands and with TIFL teams. Staying in the Territory has also seen Palipuaminni enrol in an Indigenous training education program where he's completing a Certificate 1 in Business Studies. He combines his part-time studies with a part-time job through Sport and Recreation, Tiwi Island Shire Council, and in his spare time he volunteers to umpire Auskick games on the islands.
"People often ask me will Bradley get an opportunity at the next level. While I am not convinced that an AFL club will consider a player of Bradley's size, his talent is unquestionable and if that alone was the sole criteria to be drafted then he would bolt it in," Thunder coach Michael McLean said. "I am hopeful that an AFL club may give Bradley an opportunity to showcase his talent. He backed up his outstanding effort against Brisbane earlier in the year with another outstanding all round effort on Friday night."
Vultures next in Thunder's sightsNT Thunder heads back to the Gold Coast for Round 13 to take on Mt Gravatt for the second time this season.
The game, to be played at Carrara on Sunday (3pm), looms as yet another important clash for both sides. The Vultures went down to Morningside by 74 points last round and will be wanting to get back in winning form while hoping to exact revenge on Thunder for their Round 3 loss.
NT THUNDER
TerritoryFC.com.au
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Last Modified on 13/07/2009 20:22