A group of men playing football in dresses is not something you see every day at RAAF base Tindal.
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It was a battle of the sexes as girls faced boys at a charity football game to raise money for Kintore Street School on Saturday.
The Tindal oval sidelines were packed with family, friends and colleagues who wanted to get a good look at the blokes in their finest Saturday night outfits.
The match began with some handicaps to ensure fair play, but once the game got going, it was apparent the women were more than capable.
By the end of the second quarter it was clear the women did not need any extra help on the field leading by four goals.
Marks were being taken left, right and centre and plenty of shoulder bumps and scuffles for the ball as the boys attempted to climb to the top of the leader board.
After an unusual five quarters, the game was declared a draw with each team scoring 18 goals and seven behinds.
There was plenty of cold VBs and hot sausages for the tired players after a gruelling game in the April heat.
AFL NT regional development manager for Katherine Julie Hunter said both sides got involved and had a lot of fun.
“The way the game was played was really great, it was played in good spirit,” Ms Hunter said.
The former Australian cricketer said she is keen to get more women involved in AFL.
“It was good to see how much interest there was from the girls, even ones who had never played footy before as well as some girls with a bit of experience,” Ms Hunter said.
“Having a go is what it is about and everyone helped each other.”
“This is another step towards providing more opportunities for females in Katherine,” she said.
“Hopefully we can get a girls competition started sooner rather than later.”
Tindal Magpies events coordinator Lucy Green said $500 was raised at the match to go towards Kintore Street School.
“It was a great day and was a really fun way to start off the 2017 season,” Ms Green said.
“Having some of the ladies come in from town just made it even better,” she said.
The 2017 AFL season will kickoff on April 21 with the traditional Anzac Day clash between the Tindal Magpies and the Katherine Camels.
Kickoff is at 7.30pm at the Tindal oval.
The Camels came in third place in last season’s fixture trailed by the Magpies who were not lucky enough to win a game.
Meanwhile, the NT Thunder opened its season with a win against the Aspley Hornets on Saturday in front of a home crowd.
There were seven debutantes for the Thunder which led at every change to win by more than 50 points.