It鈥檚 no secret the peoples of the Beaufort Delta are tough. But how tough?

How about Aussie rules football tough?

Tunisha Ouvluviac Kikoak, a first-generation descendant of Inuvik, was eligible for the Australian Football Leagues Women鈥檚 division (AFLW) draft, having spent the better part of her teens developing her skills on the field. The Tasmanian resident is aiming to take her sport to the next level.

鈥淚 nominated myself to go into the draft,鈥� she said. 鈥淥n Monday, the 18th of December, the draft was held. I went through that process but didn鈥檛 get drafted, but there鈥檚 still a lot of other opportunities to be drafted.

鈥淭his is just the beginning. I鈥檓 going to stick to the league that I play in and keep developing.鈥�

Kikoak said she now has her eyes on making an impact during the upcoming AFLW 2024 under 18 championships, where she will join the 鈥淓astern Allies.鈥� Players on that team come from a number of Australian states, including Tasmania. There, she will be able to showcase her skills to the top recruiters from across the country and beyond.

Having run the draft gauntlet, Kikoak said she鈥檚 learned a lot about patience and mental discipline to apply to her sport.

鈥淚t was a long process,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 started getting anxious and really couldn鈥檛 wait. I learned how I react to hard news, but I think resilience and strength carried me through.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not like any sport. You鈥檝e got to think, you鈥檝e got to use so many skills,鈥� she added. 鈥淭he game can be unpredictable with the weather and the physicality of the game.鈥�

Keeping up to competitive standards takes a lot of training and dedication. Kikoak said she runs seven to 10 kilometres an evening during her preseason conditioning sessions. That鈥檚 on top of drills and strength training. With the season fast approaching, she鈥檚 shifted her focus to game-specific training scenarios, training for two-and-a-half hours thrice per week and hitting the gym four times.

Tunisha is daughter of Josh Kikoak, who married her mom Kelly in Inuvik. Tunisha has been a force for her team, the North Melbourne VFLW.

She鈥檚 been aiming for the top league draft since the fall and while she wasn鈥檛 picked in the first round, she鈥檚 confident her abilities will land her on a team.

鈥淚鈥檓 just focusing on being in my best physical shape,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檒l just play the best I can, and in March I may have the opportunity to get picked up or I鈥檒l re-enter the draft for 2024.鈥�

A Tasmanian-based women鈥檚 football program is also in the works, with the Australian government announcing funding for developing both a Victorian Football League (VFLW) and AFLW team as of Dec. 19 of last year.

Kicking butt runs in the family. Kikoak鈥檚 sister, Lelanni Siqinnaaq Kikoak, is also an avid footballer. She too is hoping to make the jump to the big leagues in a few years. She鈥檚 joined the newly-minted Tasmanian Devils U18 women鈥檚 team, which will make its debut in March.

With winter lows bottoming out at 3 C, Tasmania, also referred to as Apple Island, is vastly different from Inuvik. But Kelly Kikoak noted there are some similarities.

On the southern portion of the island, Tunisha noted her team had to travel long distances to compete with other teams, often flying into Melbourne to play for her current team.

Notably, the islands鈥� isolation from mainland Australia means the cost of living is higher than normal, similar to the isolated North.

鈥淲e do have kangaroos in our back yard,鈥� said Kelly. 鈥淓verything gets flown in because it鈥檚 an island. So you see price increases as well.

鈥淲here on the Gold Coast in Queensland we pay $1 for a whole watermelon, so it鈥檚 hard to come down here and a quarter (of a watermelon) is $7. It鈥檚 frustrating.鈥�

Josh joked that it helps him keep from getting homesick.

鈥淚t reminds me of Inuvik during freeze up and break up,鈥� said Josh. 鈥淓verything gets flown in and certain stuff gets bumped off the shelves.鈥�