Nhill Tigers' Karen youth break 28-year drought with under-14s grand final win

Ah Nee Nwe may not be a household name yet, but after starring in the Nhill Tigers under-14s' first grand final win in almost 30 years, that might not be the case for long.

Nwe's junior side in Victoria's far west broke a 28-year drought to defeat Ararat by seven points, with the teenager named best on ground.

Seven years ago, Nwe had barely heard of Australian Rules football, let alone kicked a Sherrin.

But fast forward to the last Saturday in September and he was launching long-range goals and inspiring his teammates as one of nine Karen boys in the drought-breaking side.

"I'm finding AFL pretty good; it's fun with mates," he said.

The Karen are an ethnic group from Myanmar, many of whom fled conflict and persecution by crossing into Thailand.

At least three boys in the grand final-winning team were born in refugee camps.

Nwe is a first-generation Karen; his mother, Cho Lay, arrived in Nhill 16 years ago.

It did not take him long to fall in love with footy.

"It's good — playing and learning new things, having more opportunities in life," he said.

"I wasn't that good [at football], but then I kept training and practising more, and I got better."

He said he dreams of playing professionally one day.

"If I make the AFL, I bet the club will hold a celebration and the Karen [community will be] all happy … and Nhill will be very proud."

Travelling full circle

According to the 2021 census, Karen people make up around 10 per cent of the Nhill population.

Margaret and John Millington were instrumental in bringing the first Karen refugees to the town in 2010.

Mr Millington was the managing director of Luv-a-Duck, one of the largest duck meat producers in the country, which was struggling to find local workers.

He had never heard of the Karen people, but heard a number of refugees wanted to move to the nearby town of Horsham.

Mr Millington was soon able to hire five Karen workers.

"Five [workers] became six, became 10 and it just grew from there," Mr Millington said.

Ms Millington said the town had since embraced the Karen people, with around 35 businesses across the Wimmera now employing them.

"We saw on the weekend the success of the under 14s … I think half the under 14s were actually little Karen boys who were vital for the survival of the club."

The grand final win was an emotional moment for Mr Millington.

"I must say, I had a tear in my eye there in the last quarter … it was that exciting," he said.

"It's been a community effort, but to the credit of the community, I think we've seen the success through those kids playing.

"After Saturday winning the grand final, people will realise the importance of having them and what a gift they are to our community in so many ways."

Kicking goals

Nhill Football Netball Club's Tracey Bell has been crucial in bringing the Karen families to the club.

She said her own children might have had to move clubs if the Karen community had not helped fill the junior playing ranks.

Ms Bell said building trust with the Karen families took time and consistency early on.

"I had to work with them, bring them to trainings, communicate with their families through the Karen liaisons at school," she said.

She said she relied on her own children, and on Karen boys with stronger English, to help translate for others in the group.

There are now more than 35 kids involved across football and netball.

"We're really proud that our club and the kids, the coaches and our community have really embraced them," she said.

"Seeing all the kids turn up, they come to footy training, they just want to be involved.

"Looking at the extended community that attended the grand final, it was unprecedented for an under-14s game … I think it speaks volumes about how much the community supports all of our kids."