00:00Few footballers can say with confidence they'll play in the grand final before the first bounce
00:07down of the season.
00:08That is, unless you play for Hopeton or Ravensthorpe.
00:11So as far as I know we're the only two team comp in the country, or there's one other
00:16possibly floating around, so it is a pretty special rivalry.
00:20It's really good for this community.
00:22One training a week and a game and a few beers and a laugh.
00:25The teams have faced off every round since 2017, when Lake King was no longer able to
00:30field a side.
00:31We have kids from 14 and up, no upper age limit and no requirement for skill or anything.
00:42Sometimes it's a struggle for numbers, so they scale down to a soccer pitch.
00:45We do have to share players from time to time and we also try to play 14 a side, but sometimes
00:54if we don't even have enough for that we'll change our field and play the AFL X.
00:59It's more just to play really, what else are you going to do on the weekend, it's really
01:02important that we keep the footy going.
01:04A lot of people will work together in the towns because we're so close, so yeah it's
01:10super social but then come grand final it is on, oh god.
01:17The tempo gets serious in the game that decides the premiership cup and the wooden spoon.
01:21Definitely on grand final day if you live in Hopi you play for Hopi and if you live
01:25in Ravey and the surrounds you play for Ravey, so serious stuff.
01:29It's been a challenging year for the community with the loss of more than 300 jobs at the
01:33Ravensthorpe Nickel Mine, but at the footy field the show goes on.
01:37Ravey and Hopi and Lakes, they're resilient guys, resilient people and come from good
01:43stock, they've done it before so they'll do it again.
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