Kyver Giles barrels through a cloud of red dust and sunlight, thumping a football into the dirt as two dogs nip at his heels.

It is early afternoon in Wanarn, a community of around 120 people in Western Australia’s remote Ngaanyatjarra Lands, and a crowd is building.

Alice Springs, the nearest major town, is 860 kilometres east across the Western Australian/Northern Territory border.

The MCG, where many of these young footballers hope to one day play, is an overland journey of more than 2,700 kilometres.

As the starting siren approaches, volunteers empty bags of flour to mark the boundary line — a task left to the last minute so it isn’t devoured by dogs — before barefoot players jog onto the grassless oval.

Giles, one of the most promising young players on the lands and captain of the Wanarn Crows, has his heart set on victory.

They are currently sitting equal first on the ladder, alongside league newcomers Docker River, in the six-team competition.

“I think we might win the final,” the 21-year-old says.

Isaac Bates Junior shares his optimism.

The towering former ruckman is coaching for the first time this year, after a shoulder injury ended his playing career.

This season has sparked a turnaround for the Crows, who have sat closer to the bottom of the ladder in recent years.

“People were really sad to see their team not playing finals,” Bates Junior says.

Opportunities for youth

Australian Rules is by far the most popular sport in this remote part of the country, bringing excitement and unity to the tiny communities.

Ngaanyatjarra Council’s new communities’ sports coordinator Samantha Darby hopes to bring more West Australian Football League (WAFL) scouts to the region in coming seasons, to offer development pathways to emerging players.

The recent Dust Up Carnival, a sports and culture festival for school students across seven communities, showed the calibre and passion of young players in the region.

David Cooke, a Warakurna player who helped his team to eventual victory at the carnival, was ecstatic after kicking a difficult goal.

His Warakurna teammate, Titus Renkarra, put the kicking skills his dad taught him to good use, scoring a winning goal.

But he said his favourite part of the sport was “running fast”, evident by his long, natural stride.

Tough game ahead

This weekend, the Wanarn Crows will be taking on the Warburton Tigers, before finals begin.

As a rookie coach, Bates Junior is nervous.

But he says the recent run of success has raised their supporters’ spirits, and he has received plenty of free coaching advice.

“They always tell me, ‘Tell them to do this way, that way’,” he says, laughing.

“It’s sort of helpful.”

Among his assets is the steady, reliable Helmut Cooke, who at 47 may be the oldest player in the Ngaanyatjarra competition.

But Cooke has no plans to hang up his boots just yet.

“And they are really happy when the competition is playing, the supporters, the communities.”

Giles, who one day hopes to play for the Sydney Swans, can already picture his team holding the flag.