As the AFLW celebrates their annual Indigenous Round and the second-ever Dreamtime game in Darwin, the pathways for First Nations women to play at the highest level are as crucial as ever.

For those living in the Tiwi Islands, the pathways are difficult at the best of times. 

Outside of obvious geographical hurdles, the players' vulnerability and upheaval runs far deeper than initially meets the eye.

Documentary film Like My Brother follows the journey of four young women of Milikapiti on the Tiwi Islands, a village of about 500 people, vying for that opportunity to play at the highest level.

Made with the backing of not-for-profit Documentary Australia, Like My Brother was filmed over six years and directed by Australian duo Sal Balharrie and Danielle MacLean.

The idea for Like My Brother came to Balharrie as she was sitting in the stands at the very first AFLW match in 2017.

"As a storyteller, I am moved by stories of people who achieve great things against the odds," Balharrie said.

"I am drawn to stories of social justice. In Australia, we consider that nothing should get in the way of a potential champion achieving greatness."

The documentary follows Arthurina 'Rina' Moreen, Juliana Kerinaiua, Freda Puruntatameri and Jess Stassi as they simultaneously shoulder the hopes of a community and juggle the profound cultural shift of relocating to Melbourne and playing in Essendon Football Club's VFLW program.

AFLW player embraces 'little sisters'

As someone who has undergone the shift from an Indigenous community to an elite AFLW program, Western Bulldogs midfielder Courtney Ugle, who also played with Essendon in the VFLW, took the players under her wing, calling them her "little sisters".

"I had the honour of playing a small part in the journey and walking alongside my sisters for the past six years," Ugle said.

"Watching them grow, face challenges and embrace their dreams with such grace and strength has been inspiring, showing the world what it means to lead with pride, culture and community.

"I couldn't be prouder of these young women for breaking new grounds for future generations."

Ugle is no stranger to the complexities of juggling tradition, family and her own dreams, growing up in Bunbury, Western Australia.

Her grandmother was part of the Stolen Generation, she lost her father to suicide at a young age and later her mother to domestic violence.

She has since made it her mission to tell her story and break the cycle of domestic violence.

Coming from a background vastly different to that of her teammates, Ugle knew the importance of giving the players someone to rely on.

From painting the guernsey to pulling it on

One of the women documented in the film, Arthurina 'Rina' Moreen, was the artist of the Essendon men's side 2018 Dreamtime guernsey worn in their clash against Richmond at the MCG.

The artwork featured dots on the famous red sash and lines in the body of the jumper representing Tiwi elders and culture.

Rina was flown down to witness her artwork in action. 

The Tiwi College student, 18 at the time, said "they call this an immersion trip, I think it's more a trip to help us build confidence, so when we get opportunities to play away from home, the big cities aren't so scary".

Football has always been a passion for Rina.

"On Tiwi Island, football was there from history you know and until the next generation continues – it's natural with our own skill," she said.

"We're born to play footy and it's in our blood.

"I started by kicking bottles and if the bottle was too hard, we would put duct tape around it to make it softer and kick it with our [bare] foot."

The experience of designing the Bombers' guernsey and flying to Melbourne was formative for Rina as she continued to chase her football dreams.

Navigating culture shock in the city

Players spent half the year with the Essendon VFLW program, and the other half with family on Tiwi.

When they were away from home they were lodged in Sunbury, about 40 minutes from Melbourne City.

Puruntatameri described it as "dead".

"There's no family dropping in, no fires," she said.

Brendan Major, who was Essendon's VFLW coach at the time, noted the disparity in lifestyle.

"I probably don't fully appreciate what the challenges they're going to have are, the culture shock is huge, to move to a different lifestyle which it most certainly is, to move away from the support network, that's hard," he said.

It's the candid and raw way the transition and culture shock are depicted in the documentary that leaves you with a sense of the complexities the players must navigate which was important for the directors to portray.

'If we are Tiwi, we are one'

Directors Balharrie and MacLean worked closely alongside the Tiwi Land Council to tell the story, crediting the Tiwi people for their generosity and support.

"It's an incredible culture that is open and available for all Australians to share, all we have to do is get curious, take time to listen and think about the meanings of a way of life that could not be more different to a western approach in regard to family obligations and kinship, language and history," Balharrie said.

"Also the depth of Tiwi community – a Tiwi person is never alone – if we are Tiwi, we are one."

For Rina, the documentary gives her a chance to tell her story and also connect to more First Nations women who want to follow their dreams.

"I want to give my advice to all young Aboriginal women around remote communities, not just Tiwi Islands women you know — to take these opportunities and give them strength and good pathways through this journey so hopefully they make the next step." Rina said.

"That's my advice to every Aboriginal woman around Australia in remote communities, to have a good pathway like we had."

Like My Brother premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival on Saturday, August 10, and was released exclusively in theatres across Australia on Thursday, October 17.

Sarah Burt is a multidisciplinary Sports Journalist based in Melbourne/Naarm with a specific passion for amplifying women's sport stories.