Nine West Australian players departed for Fiji yesterdy, December 11, as part of the Flying Boomerangs national indigenous 15s team.
Players included Warrick Wilson (Port Hedland/SD), Jarrod Pickett (SF), Jarrod Garlett (SF), Anthony Champion (Kalgoorlie/Subiaco), Daniel Barnard (Geraldton/EF), Jermaine Miller-Lewis (SF), Jamie Ryder (Subiaco), Dino Ross (SD) and Dylan Nelson (SD).
They are being accompanied by assistant coach Des Hedland and will compete against Under 15 Oceania and South Pacific teams this week at the Youth AFL Oceania Cup.
AFL players Israel Folau and Nic Naitanui will also attend the Cup in Fiji this week and mentor young players from their respective nations.
The Flying Boomerangs will play games and engage in leadership sessions and a cultural exchange with players from Fiji, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Nauru, Samoa, Tonga, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.The Flying Boomerangs program is a personal development and leadership program designed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young men that are 14 -15 years of age.
The participants are selected from an annual camp that involves players from throughout Australia and are mentored by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders and former Australian Football League players.
The Flying Boomerangs program recently won a prestigious Beyond Sport Award after being nominated in the Sport Federation or Governing Body of the Year category as one of 400 entries from more than 125 countries..
AFL Community Engagement Manager Jason Mifsud accepted the award in Cape Town, South Africa.
