37

The local footy team of the small coastal town of Cutting Cove have spent so long at the bottom of the ladder they might as well be welded to it. This year, a new hope arrives for the Currawongs: the Marngrook cousins, Sonny and Jayma. Nicknamed after the Aboriginal game that inspired AFL, their natural talent promises the team’s best chance at bringing the flag home for the first time ever. What will come with that flag, however, is the cruel reminder of a far greater loss in this country’s colonial history.

Nathan Maynard‘s 37 serves up a searing critique of Australia’s relationship with sport, set within the era of Adam Goodes’ war cry and the country’s ensuing debate on racism. In the land of the fair go, the rules of the game will always be fairer for some than others. Who decides these rules, when not everyone wants to play clean? Can you possibly ever win, when the system is rigged against you?

APT