Game regime gives students better marks

Aussie Rules football has long been a bridge to help bring out the best in boys and girls and this year it is proving no different for 10 Yandeyarra youngsters.

The boys are travelling from the remote Pilbara community into Hedland each Wednesday after school to train and play as part of the Hedland Reds junior AFL competition.

The five older boys then also travel to Hedland and Karratha on game days to play for the Hedland Whites under-15s team.

While the three-hour round trip from Yandeyarra to Hedland - and even longer trip to Karratha - would be enough to put most people off their game, the boys can't get enough.

Started this year by Yandeyarra Remote Community School teacher Takeia Beard, the program is designed to engage the boys.

"I wanted them to want to come to school, and I needed to give them an incentive to do that," she said.

"The deal is if they come to the school every day of the week, I'll bring them into Hedland to play footy - if they don't come, they don't play."

Ms Beard said the program also helped instil healthy eating principles into the boys.

"We've got funding to provide all their food," she said.

"So we cook a healthy breakfast before we go on match days and they have a healthy afternoon tea and lunch as well."

And it is not just the Yandeyarra boys who are benefiting - Hedland's junior teams also seem to be kicking more goals.

In the first game alone, four Yandeyarra boys teamed up to boot 11 goals between them for their Hedland side - or about half the team's total score.

But like all great achievements, the goal-scoring spree took its toll on the juniors.

"They were absolutely exhausted and slept the whole way home," Ms Beard said.