17 November, 2014

Thousands of people from communities across NSW showed up at the 2014 Koori Knockout this year to watch their home team battle it out over the October long weekend.

It culminated in Walgett Aboriginal Connection winning the Grand-final against the Newcastle All Blacks 28-16

Many have termed it the modern day corroborree including Former NRL player Dean Widders: “Our people have got so much passion for it, it’s not just the players on the field, it’s the supporters, so it’s very important for our communities and it’s great to see. This is our way of seeing boys become men, it’s our initiation ceremony”.

Over 70 teams registered to compete this year and there was strong representation from women. Sheree Potts is from the South Coast of New South Wales but this year she played for the Redfern All Blacks. “I think this year’s probably one of the biggest years for women in the knockout with 14 teams, so it’s just getting bigger and better every year with the women”.