BRENDAN TREMBATH: Northern Australia has a long history of producing talented Aussie Rules players. But for every footballer who makes it there are dozens who struggle with homesickness, training requirements, drugs or alcohol.
The Northern Territory Thunder Football Club was set up to prepare young players for the rigours of the AFL. And it's had considerable success as James Glenday reports from Darwin.
(Chants of "We are the Territory boys, we are the Territory Thunder!")
JAMES GLENDAY: Northern Territory Thunder is having an outstanding season.
The side finished on top of the ladder, won a maiden premiership and is favourite to take out the inaugural North-East Australian Football League title this weekend.
The success has talent scouts circling. Shaun Hart is a coach at the Gold Coast Suns.
SHAUN HART: There's definitely an opportunity for a couple of guys at least on the Territory list to be able to play AFL football. I can see by the size of the bodies up there that they're really in a good program.
JAMES GLENDAY: The remote parts of Northern Australia are home to some of the best Aussie Rules players in the country. But few make it in the AFL because they have to move to big cities, thousands of kilometres away from friends and family.
Charlie King has been commentating Aussie Rules for the ABC in the Northern Territory for more than 20 years.
CHARLIE KING: There's players who went down and had a little taste of it and weren't able to do it and packed up and came back only to regret it for the rest of their lives.
You can't have a match day commitment and nothing else you know. This has to happen seven days a week.
JAMES GLENDAY: Former AFL greats Michael Long and Maurice Rioli fought for over a decade to establish a Territory team.
With help from the Federal Government, the AFL and several mining companies the Territory Thunder Football Club was set up three years ago.
The club's aim is to prepare talented young footballers for the on and off-field rigours of the AFL. Players have to train several times a week, work or study full-time and do community work.
The set-up has reinvigorated the career of Thunder captain Cameron Ilett. He's now an outside chance of getting an AFL contract.
CAMERON ILETT: You know the opportunities now with Thunder, you know young players don't have to go down south to get exposure.
You know we get opportunities to play against GWS, the Gold Coast Suns and the Brisbane Lions. So you know we're playing right under the noses of the scouts and that so it's good.
JAMES GLENDAY: But it's in the bush that the Thunder is arguably having its biggest impact.
The club's stars which include former AFL players Andrew McLeod and Jason Roe regularly run football clinics and do charity work in remote Indigenous communities
Coach Murray Davis says he wants his players to become role models and encourage the next batch of talented footballers.
MURRAY DAVIS: They're out there and I think that's the best thing about it at the moment. Thunder's only in its third year and there's some unbelievable kids out there. And hopefully they can see the pathway and continue to stay involved in the sport.
JAMES GLENDAY: The Thunder has big plans. It wants to eventually join the South Australian League and then maybe even become an AFL club.
At the moment though its biggest problem is replacing players that are being poached by other clubs.
MURRAY DAVIS: Yeah, good problem to have though. Like I think that's part of why we're here and is developing the guys to try and play at the highest level.
So if that's something that's happening it means that you know the players are reaching their potential and we're certainly playing a small part in helping that.
BRENDAN TREMBATH: Northern Territory Thunder coach Murray Davis ending that report from James Glenday.
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