Franky Takto and Livingstone Thachaw made their AFL International Cup debuts at Royal Park when they played for Team Asia against Team Africa. Franky’s brother Juris was also selected to play but was a late withdrawal through injury.
All three boys are students of the Bulldogs Multicultural Sports Program being run at schools and adult education centres across the western region.
Both teams were made up of Australian based players who have been in Australia for less than five years. Juris, Franky and Livingstone were selected to represent their continent after attending training sessions with other refugees from Asia who share a passion for Australian Rules football.
In a nail biting finish to the game, Team Asia kicked a goal in the dying seconds to clinch a three-point victory.
Western Bulldogs Engaged Communities Coordinator, Kiemi Lai, said the trio played with and against players of similar non-football backgrounds.
“It’s a huge achievement for them to be selected. It provides a great opportunity for them to improve their personal development and self esteem and also raise the profile of Australian Rules football within the Karen community across the western region,” she said.
“They were introduced to Australian Rules football through our MSP at the Adult Multicultural Educational Services centres in Footscray and Werribee. It’s great to see that the hard work we are doing in the community is having such benefits.”
The Multicultural Challenge game was one of three they will play as part of the international football carnival. They will play against Team Africa again today before their last match against Tonga on Wednesday.
While not in the main draw for the international competition, Juris, Franky and Livingstone have been rubbing shoulders with players from the 16 competing countries, including India, Ireland and the USA. All players representing the other 16 teams are amateurs and nationals of their countries.
The International Cup started last Wednesday with matches being played in Melbourne, Geelong and Warrnambool. The Grand Final will be played at the MCG on Friday night before the Western
