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The local footy team of this small coastal town has spent too long at the bottom of the ladder. But then a new hope arrives: the Marngrook cousins. Named after the Aboriginal game that inspired AFL, they’re match-fit to bring home the team’s first flag in forever. 37 juxtaposes choreographed sequences of Marngrook and the modern game with the hilarity and at-times questionable banter found within sporting clubs around Australia.

Set within the era of Adam Goodes’s war cry – and named for the number he immortalised – 37 asks 10 actors to throw themselves into this world of blood and grit to get at the values that drive a national obsession. Community, identity, the price of winning and the meaning of a goal: they’re all up for grabs.

Penned by Nathan Maynard – twice named Tasmanian Aboriginal Artist of the Year – and directed by Isaac Drandic (The Birthday Party, ABC’s Cleverman), 37 is a reminder that honest conversations are more than a ball toss. It matters where you stand.