The Flying Boomerangs are the underage Indigenous Australian Australian rules football team for men (the underage women's team is known as the Woomeras and the senior team is the Indigenous All-Stars).
From 2008 to 2017 the team toured overseas playing tests against junior teams from Papua New Guinea, South Africa, New Zealand and developing pacific nations. The team was hosted by the AFL NT and based in Darwin, Northern Territory.
In 2018 the AFL Commission restructured it to become part of the AFL's diversity program and it now participate in an annual match in Melbourne against a World Team consisting of underage players with a parent born outside Australia.
Identity The team is named after the aboriginal hunting tool, the boomerang. The team wears the colours of the Aboriginal flag - A black guernsey featuring a yellow upside down boomerang below which are red stripes.
History In 2013, the Flying Boomerangs toured to play the South African national Australian rules football team Flying Boomerangs tour in South Africa from SBS in both Australia and South Africa. They toured Papua New Guinea, the first international team to defeat them in Australian rules footballBoomerangs take game to PNG and also New Zealand winning both matches. Flying Boomerangs star in New Zealand 17 December 2013
Apart from representing Australia in international Australian Rules Football, the Flying Boomerangs team members have gone on to play in the Australian Football League.
Other tours include Papua New Guinea (2009), Tonga (2010) and Fiji (2011) to compete against the underage Oceania and Pacific Islands teams. Andrew Mcleod (head coach) and Chris Johnson (assistant coach) were also part of the team in 2010. In 2017 Barry Lawrence was named head coach and Harry Miller as assistant coach.
The Flying Boomerangs have been featured nationally in a documentary on ABC TV during their tour to South Africa.
Notable matches and tours
+ Matches+YearDate OpponentResultStadiumCaptain (vice-captain)CoachBestCrowdNotes/References 2017 December New Zealand Academy Flying Boomerangs 26.9 (165) def New Zealand Academy 3.2 (20) Outer Oval, North Harbour Stadium Frank Szekely NZ Academy diary: Day 7 by Ronald Fuschtei for Port Adelaide FC 4 December 2017 2017 December South Pacific All Stars Albert Park (Suva) Fiji Barry Lawrence 2013 December New Zealand (U16) Flying Boomerangs 16.23 (119) def New Zealand 2.3 (15) Hutt Park Wellington, New Zealand 2013 February South Pacific Nations Flying Boomerangs 13.5 (83) def South Pacific 10.9 (69) Blacktown International Sportspark 2013 January South Africa Flying Boomerangs 17.15 (117) def South Africa 4.8 (32) Durban 2011 Fiji Andrew Mcleod 2010 Tonga 2010 South Africa (Coastal Squad) Flying Boomerangs 17.10 (112) def. South Africa (Coastal Squad) Nyanga Cricket Ground, Cape Town 2010 South Africa (Inland Squad) Flying Boomerangs 9.13 (67) def. South Africa (Inland Squad) 8.9 (57) Mohadin Cricket Ground, Potchefstroom 2009 Central Highlands (Papua New Guinea) Flying Boomerangs 7.10 (52) def. Central Highlands 2.2 (14) University of Papua New Guinea Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea 8,000 2009 Papua New Guinea (U18) Flying Boomerangs 9.11 (65) def. by Papua New Guinea (U18) 9.12 (66) Lae, Papua New Guinea 2,500 2008 South Africa Flying Boomerangs 11.10 (76) def. South Africa 8.9 (57) 2008 South Africa Flying Boomerangs 19.9 (123) def. South Africa 2.11 (23)
Sponsors Qantas (2010-2016) Rio Tinto (2017-2020)
Alumni
Austin Wonaeamirri Leroy Jetta Malcolm Lynch Cameron Stokes Isaac Weetra Nathan Krakouer Steven May
Curtly Hampton Rex Liddy Jarman Impey Jamarra Ugle-Hagan Peter Yagmoor Callum Ah Chee Joel Jeffrey Willie Rioli
See also Indigenous All-Stars
References