There were close to 100 boys of First Nations and multicultural backgrounds aged 12-13-years-old, combining to make four teams named: Eagle (English), Waalitj (Noongar), Arend (Afrikaans) and Wa Shi (Japanese), with all names translating to “Eagle” in their aligned NGA areas.
In a round-robin tournament consisting of three games each, it was the Eagle team that claimed the victory in the 2024 competition, beating the reigning champions Waalitj.
It was the first time the Naitanui Cup has been played at Mineral Resources Park since 2019 with Naitanui Academy Manager Chris Brown highlighting the importance of this in deepening the boys’ connection to the club.
“It was amazing to have the games played at Mineral Resources Park, scheduling is always really difficult, so this year we brought it forward a little bit so we make sure that the competition could be run here,” Brown said.
“The club’s connection to our academy players is extremely important so allowing the youth to be in the kicking hall, warming up in the shed and playing on our two ovals encourages the kids to feel part of the club and allows them to experience being a West Coast Eagles player.”
This competition provides a great chance for the youth involved to wrap up their intense year of training and gives them the chance to show off the skills they have developed throughout their year within the program.
“It was a really high-quality level of footy, we all get more and more impressed each year by how advanced and developed every group is and the things they can do at a high level at such a young age,” Brown said.
“It is the first opportunity for these boys to play some proper matches against one another and gain some experience in higher level games.
“At the end of the day this is a development carnival that aims to progress them through their football journey as they become eligible for NGA games, WAFL development, State 15’s and other programs in the next couple of years.
“Our 13-year-olds will head out to play games against Fremantle’s NGA in April next year, so this is a great opportunity for them to learn about rotations and some of the new rules that they may not know, preparing them on how to play.”
Not only does this day encourage the development of players but is also important and beneficial for the volunteer coaches who were each given a team to coach and battle it out for the title.
“The competition serves as a reward for all of the Naitanui Academy coaches who advance their skills under Steve Malaxos and offers a chance for them to put into practice all of their learnings from our training sessions during the year. Providing the grounds for them to make a transition into the next step of their development where they can coach their own teams,” Brown said.
The academy’s namesake in Nic Naitanui was also present on the day watching the games, supporting from the sideline and presenting awards to the MVPs from each team.
“It was great having Nic down to show his support for these young boys. His presence was really encouraging for all people who were involved in the competition and reinforces their connection to the Club,” Brown said.
“Nic was really impressed with what he saw too, bringing his son Ezekiel down to have a look and maybe we’ll get to see him in the program in ten or so years’ time.”
The Rookie squad will wind up their season in late September, the 11 and 12-year-old rookies will return to the program in 2025, whilst the 13-year-olds will transition through to the juniors pathway next year and participate in their first official NGA matches.
NAITANUI CUP AWARD WINNERS:
Naitanui Cup MVP: Chayse Pitt (Team Eagle)
Eagle: Tyson Hickey
Waalitj: Korben Lorimer
Arend: Haro Tanabe-Armstrong
Wa Shi: Michael Kruger
