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Richmond players Richard Tambling, Jarrad Oakley-Nicholls and Daniel Jackson spent four days in Alice Springs last week, visiting community schools to educate students about the importance of education, nutrition and goal-setting.

The travelling group, which also included CEO Steven Wright, media officer Adrian Ceddia and Connex Tigers in Schools Co-ordinator Michael Lacy, visited Yirara College on Thursday, Ti Tree School on Friday and the AFL Central Australia grand final day on Saturday.

The trip was part of the club’s ongoing presence in the region, and followed two separate visits to the Northern Territory earlier this year.

Tambling took some time out to speak to richmondfc.com.au about the trip.
 

RICHMOND FC: Did you appreciate the opportunity to visit the Northern Territory?

RICHARD TAMBLING: It’s my second trip this year and I love coming up here. It gives us a chance to make a difference in the communities, and I think they appreciate that we’re committed to being here. I’m from Darwin, so it also gives me a chance to catch up with a few of my mates in Alice. They love their footy up here, and they really seemed to be rapt to see some footballers visit them. Some of the skills on display were amazing!

RFC: What did you hope to achieve on the trip, and do you think you achieved it?

RT: I guess we went there with the main aim of encouraging kids about the importance of a school education. We tried to talk about our experiences growing up, and how us getting an education helped us get to where we are now.

I just wanted to continue my work from the last trip in May. Back then we visited the community football teams in Santa Teresa and Hermannsburg, and we got a lot out of that. This time we focused on primary school-aged students, and it was just as rewarding. We’ve still got heaps of work to do yet, but it’s been a good start to our association with the Northern Territory. The kids seemed to take in all of our messages, so I think it was a big success.

RFC: What do you think is the biggest area Richmond FC can concentrate its efforts in the Northern Territory?

RT: I think it’s in the schools. We need to encourage kids to keep up their attendances. We’ve really tried to get that across during our time here, by relating it to our own upbringing. There’s no way I’d be where I am now if I didn’t persist with schooling.

It’s also important to preach the message of healthy eating and living. There are plenty of ways to keep active up here, but it’s just as important not to fall into the trap of having an unhealthy diet.

RFC: What did you make of the AFLCA grand final day?

RT: I could watch that standard of footy all day. It’s so fast, free-flowing and attacking. It was the first year of the new Central Australia competition, with five Alice Springs teams and five community teams involved. It was great to see Pioneers (city side) and Yuendumu (community team) in the grand final. Growing up in a community in Darwin like I did, I was glad Yuendumu got over the line!

There was plenty of talent out there – watching Liam Jurrah kick six amazing goals was a real highlight.

It was 36 degrees during the senior match, so it was a tribute to the players that they ran out the game the way they did. The standard was fantastic – I reckon I can take a few tricks back to Melbourne with me!

RFC: Did you get a chance to relax and take in the sights?

RT: We had a pretty busy schedule, but we managed to catch up with a few of the locals. We had a chance to meet some representatives of the league clubs for dinner on Thursday, and caught up on the AFL prelim finals on TV. We’ve got a few weeks off before we get back to training, but we still need to keep an eye on our fitness levels, so we snuck in a few runs and gym sessions. The skin fold tests are not too far away!

RFC: What are your plans for the rest of the off season?

RT: I’m heading back home to Darwin for a few weeks. I’m bringing my son home for the first time, so I’m really looking forward to showing him around and catching up with family and friends.