Key points:

- Daly River Buffaloes Women's Football Club wins the 2026 Barunga Festival Women's AFL premiership

- The region faced major floods, evacuations and months of rebuilding and repairs

- Players from Daly River, Emu Point, Palumpa, Ngukurr, Barunga and Wadeye contributed to the premiership campaign

After months of floods, uncertainty and disruption across the Daly River region, the Daly River Buffaloes Women's Football Club has given its community something to celebrate, claiming the 2026 Barunga Festival Women's AFL premiership with a commanding 8.13.61 to 1.2.8 victory over Gove.

For club president John Bonson, the premiership is about much more than what happened on the scoreboard.

"This is certainly a well needed boost that the community needs," he said.

The foundations for the premiership were laid during one of the most difficult periods the community has experienced. As families navigated successive floods and time spent in evacuation centres, local women began discussing ways to create something positive to focus on.

"The planning and organising all came from the Nauiyu Women's Group. Ingrid Schreiner, Janine Cooper and other regional women leaders were the driving force behind bringing everyone together. This team shows what can happen when women are given the opportunity to lead and support each other," Mr Bonson said.

'We will grow stronger from this'

The team was born from conversations among women during the flood recovery period.

"We wanted something positive and something to look forward to while staying at the evacuation centre. We have been through some sad and challenging times, but we will grow stronger from this."

That determination carried the team throughout the season and ultimately to Barunga, where they produced one of their strongest performances when it mattered most.

The victory also reflects the growth of women's football across the region and the determination of players who continued showing up year after year despite family responsibilities, community challenges and the impacts of the floods.

A core group of women and girls remained committed to the team over the past four years, often bringing their children to training and setting a strong example for the next generation. Their resilience helped create a culture where teammates supported one another and never gave up.

Mr Bonson hopes young girls across the region see the team as proof that anything is possible and that sport can provide opportunities for leadership, confidence and connection.

"From little things, big things can grow," he said.

A true regional effort

The success also demonstrated that everyone has a role to play in strengthening their community, whether through sport, volunteering or supporting others.

The Buffaloes squad represented a true regional effort built on a simple principle: stronger together.

With roads still impacted by this year's flooding, women from Palumpa and Wadeye travelled by plane to Darwin before continuing by bus to Barunga to represent their communities.

Women from Daly River, Emu Point, Palumpa, Ngukurr, Barunga and Wadeye all contributed to the premiership campaign, alongside Janine Cooper, coach Wally Johnston and Latisha Marrantya from the Miriam Rose Foundation, who helped bring players together from across the region.

Marrantya also supported players throughout the carnival, including transporting women from the Batchelor evacuation centre.

The premiership belonged to everyone who contributed, whether through playing, volunteering, supporting families or simply showing up for one another.

Bonson also acknowledged Wally Johnston and other men's group participants who assisted with transport, training and logistics throughout the season.

While the premiership celebrations will continue, attention must now turn to rebuilding the club after extensive flood damage. Floodwaters inundated and damaged the facility, which serves as an important gathering place for families and the wider community.

For Daly River, this premiership is about more than football. It is a story of Aboriginal women creating opportunity during adversity and leading their communities through difficult times.

At a time when female participation in sport continues to grow across remote communities, the Daly River Buffaloes have shown what is possible when women back each other and create opportunities for future generations.

After a year of floods and hardship, their premiership stands as a powerful reminder that when Aboriginal women lead, communities grow stronger.