Spirit, sport and community shine at 2025 Kurrung Sports Carnival

The 2025 Kurrung Sports Carnival lit up Jabiru on September 5, showcasing an outstanding weekend of football and basketball. Hosted by West Arnhem Regional Council, the event brought together men’s and women’s teams from Jabiru, Minjilang, Maningrida, Warruwi and Gunbalanya.

Through Kurrung, the Council continues its commitment to strengthening communities across West Arnhem. This year’s program was bigger than ever, featuring both men’s and women’s basketball and AFL competitions.

The carnival fosters strong partnerships with regional stakeholders, and the Council extends its thanks to the organisations that played a key role in making this year’s event a success.

This included the Tackling Indigenous Smoking Team and Caulfield Grammar for volunteering and the valuable sponsors and supporters of the carnival. 

Long-time and valuable partner, the NO MORE Campaign had a strong presence through the carnival, supporting and promoting positive fair play, respect and camaraderie on and off the field. Thank you to David at No More who brought teams together at each grand final game to speak about and acknowledge the important messages of eradicating violence in sport, households and our communities.

The NO MORE team awarded the ‘Spirit of Kurrung’ cup to the Community which displayed the important values of sportsmanship, respect, inclusion and fair play throughout the carnival.

The proud Community which received this award was Minjilang!

Thank you to Charlie King from ABC Radio for conducting live on-air updates of the carnival over the weekend.

In the results, there was a lot of close competition, showcasing the depth of talent in the region.

Men’s Basketball – The Jabiru Bombers and Minjilang Eagles battled it out under the court lights. With the crowd cheering on both sides, Minjilang finished strong in the second half, taking the win 11–6. The Jabiru Bombers were named runners up for the second year in a row, while all teams represented their communities with pride in what was a thrilling start to the carnival.

Women’s Basketball – Saturday morning at the Jabiru Area School saw five teams chasing the trophy. In the grand final, Maningrida faced the Minjilang Eagles, who were determined to back up their men’s team’s victory the night before. They succeeded with a 16–6 win, taking the champion trophy home. Great team spirit and plenty of laughs on and off the court made the women’s competition a highlight of the carnival.

Women’s AFL – Another highlight was the return of the women’s AFL showcase game before the men’s grand final. Thank you to the Jabiru Bombers and Maningrida for fielding strong teams. Both sides displayed plenty of skill, but the Bombers found form and secured a 14–4 win. The Council looks forward to seeing this category of the carnival grow in the years ahead.

Men’s AFL – The competition on Brockman Oval drew a strong crowd, with five teams competing in a round robin format. The grand final saw the home team Jabiru Bombers take on Maningrida in a high-scoring match. Both teams showed the benefits of their training in the lead-up, but the Bombers secured victory, claiming their third straight title. Congratulations also to runners up Maningrida for an outstanding performance.

At the presentations, Team Health awarded an additional prize for Emerging Young Sportsperson, which went to Isiah from Maningrida.

West Arnhem Regional Council wishes to thank everyone involved in the event including participants, Council staff and the volunteers. Thank you also to the sponsors:

Ranger Rehabilitation Project, Jabiru Property Services, PTM Group, Kaddum Industries, Stedman’s Contracting, Red Lily Health, Northern Power Service, Kakadu Lodge, Kakadu Supermarket, Kakadu Contracting, Team Health, JN Mousellis Civil Contractors, C&R Constructions, Malala Health, Jabiru Service Station, Northern Territory Government, Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation, Kakadu Tourism, AFL NT, Hutch Air, Kakadu Kneads, AJ Couriers, ALPA, Caulfield Grammar School, NIAA, The Croc, Cooinda Lodge, BV Contracting and No More.