Anthony Tipungwuti’s development as a footballer and young man is one of the great stories in the Power’s well established history of developing boys into men of quality. Tippa’s story started on the Tiwi islands north of Darwin where he quickly demonstrated that he had amazing football ability in an environment that has seen the development of many of our finest indigenous footballers.
While his football skills were developing, Anthony was also a motivated student at school where his education was centred on his native language rather than English. By the time he was 15, he was being taken to Darwin to begin work with the Tiwi bombers, a renowned indigenous team that was being set up to play in the Darwin competition. He developed so quickly that he was playing senior football in 2009. As part of his football development he was selected in the Northern Territory under 16 squad for the nationals, since then Anthony has also represented the Northern Territory in the under 18 team in 2010 and 2012.
At the end of 2009 Anthony was given an even bigger opportunity to develop his already considerable talents when he came to Drouin to live with Jane Mc Donald and her family. It was a huge step for Anthony in terms of his football but the cultural differences involved were even more challenging. He quickly needed to develop an understanding of the English language verbally and in written form so that he could start to understand the demands involved with a new family, school and his football.
In the 2010 TAC Cup season Anthony quickly became an important member of the Power team where his pace, skill and reading of the game were outstanding. In the final series that year he impressed many with his ability to cope so well with the unique challenges of football at this level. What wasn’t known was he was also making amazing progress with his English skills as he worked hard at school as well as working closely with Jane at home.
This intense learning curve continued in 2011 as he and Jane continued to build on his English skills whilst still being involved in the Power program. Towards the end of the season he was devoting much of his spare time to his language development and his fitness began to fade as a consequence. As much as people admired his foot-balling skills few would have been aware of how far he had come with his development of his English both at school and at home with Jane.
By the end of the 2011 season he was in contention for a return to the Power as an over-age player. The key was to be his fitness and he immediately began to work on a regular basis with new Power coach Nick Stevens. This became a vital element in his football development as well as his confidence as a young man as Anthony and Nick communicated consistently. For the first time in his notable career he fully understood what his coach was saying to him and when he was uncertain he now had the self-confidence to ask questions.
By the time the 2012 season began he was fit, confident and ready to take advantage of the chance to play as an over-age player at Power. His work in the season so far has been outstanding as he has become a dashing backman who regularly takes on and beats dangerous opponents as well as creating many attacking pieces of play with his pace, skills and vision. His Northern Territory state selectors have chosen him in their squad for the 2012 championships as a result of his amazing work rate since last season.
The many challenges involved in Tippa’s football and schooling are astounding but he has also had to make amazing cultural changes based on his family situation. At home on the Tiwi islands he lived with his mother Nola and two brothers and sisters. Surrounding his immediate family was a typically wider family structure that gave him a huge amount of support in all aspects of his life.
When Anthony came to live with Jane, her husband and her four sons and daughter he needed to make a huge adjustment but was given great support of the Mc Donald family. He now moves comfortably between both families knowing how well he is supported by this new structure. As well as having huge improvement in terms of the demands of football, he has also stepped up in terms of his scholastic demands.
In 2012 Anthony is doing year 11 English and working at his school as a teaching assistant in the PE department. His journey has been really impressive in terms of his development both on and off the football field. The leadership qualities being shown in his football and school environments was not possible just two years ago, but his stunning work rate has allowed him to have the confidence now to not only succeed in both areas but also develop the self-confidence to be a highly respected leader as well.
Last Modified on 03/09/2012 14:06