Aussie rules footy is the lifeblood of Aboriginal communities across the Northern Territory.
But in the East Arnhem Land community of Borroloola, the iconic goalposts synonymous with the home-grown sport are nowhere to be seen.
Here, soccer is the word, and Jorja Miller has been kicking a round ball since she was a little girl.
"Soccer was in our community for very long time," she says.
"It's the most popular sport in Borroloola, every kid enjoyed it, loved playing soccer."
Now Jorja and her teammates are making history as part of the remote Aboriginal community's recently revived women's soccer team, the Borroloola Strikers.
Barefoot games and big dreams
After years in the wilderness, as what looks like a repurposed school bus ambles around the community's worn roads and red dirt tracks, the newly minted Strikers pile into the back.
The players range in age from 14 to their early 30s, and their connection stretches beyond the soccer field, with many taking to the field alongside close and extended family members.
Denise Lalara says playing with her cousin-sisters makes the whole team better.
"I like playing soccer to make my family happy and proud," she says.
Like many of her teammates, Denise wants to make it to the big leagues.
"I want to chase my dream," she says.
But for now, it's a bumpy, hour-long drive to the team’s training ground at the Macarthur River Mine outside town.
As the women and girls run onto the field, their cleats stay on the sidelines — the Borroloola Strikers do their best work barefoot.
The players move quickly, manipulating the ball around each other with practised speed and skill.
The goals may have no nets, but the celebrations are still raucous when the ball flies through the metal frame.
For many of the girls these once-a-week training sessions are a chance to leave their problems behind and focus on their greatest passion.
"I like being around friends, making new friends, just going out there and enjoy more sports," Tonita Cooper says.
Ready to compete in First Nations Football Festival
Earlier this year, the Strikers played their first match against established Darwin club the Mindil Aces.
And despite their fledgling status, not only did the team from Borroloola win, they kept the other side goalless.
But their biggest challenge so far will come next week, when the Strikers compete against teams from across the nation at the NSW First Nations Football Festival in Dubbo.
It will be their first time playing in a registered competition and the first time travelling interstate for many players.
After one of their coaches pulls them into a post-training huddle in the middle of the pitch, there are smiles and laughter all round as each name is called to collect their new jersey, ready for the competition ahead.
"They're all connected in some way, but I think put them together and having something to look forward to like a competition and representing Borroloola but also the Northern Territory, I think is a great opportunity for them," coach Steve McAllan says.
"The problem is going to be putting the boots on them and keeping the boots on them, that's going to be the issue."
Local A-League icon inspires young players
For many of the women and girls, the dream of going professional doesn't feel so out of reach.
When asked who their soccer hero is, only one name is spoken — Shadeene "Shay" Evans.
The A-League star and former member of the Young Matildas started her career on the same pitch, with some of the players on this team.
"There's no other young people in our community who inspired us like Shadeene Evans," Jorja says.
Evans is a family member of a few of the present-day Borroloola Strikers and encouraged them to restart the team, with many now keen to follow in her footsteps.
Football NT chief executive Jamie Monteith says in the past, there haven't been enough pathways for remote players to make it big but he says that's changing.
"The reality is they enjoy what they do, we have 15 girls here, but we have a rich history of the community playing the game," he says.
"First and foremost is making sure they still love the game and through that, identifying who can get to that next level.
"Using role models like Shay and many other athletes that have come before them to basically give them the platform to aspire to and to be the best they can be."
