{"id":7929,"date":"2026-01-14T07:34:47","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T00:34:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/?p=7929"},"modified":"2026-01-14T07:34:49","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T00:34:49","slug":"goolagong-is-a-compelling-and-inspiring-mini-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/goolagong-is-a-compelling-and-inspiring-mini-series\/","title":{"rendered":"Goolagong is a compelling and inspiring mini-series"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Evonne Goolagong Cawley was one of Australia\u2019s greatest champions of all time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Goolagong, a compelling and inspiring three-part mini-series honouring the Wiradjuri tennis legend, is a rags-to-riches story about a small-town girl with a ball and a piece of 2 x 4 who dreams of one day winning Wimbledon. A little Aussie battler.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Evonne is portrayed by the remarkable Whadjuk and Wardandi Noongar actress Lila McGuire, who delivers a sublime performance that compellingly showcases Goolagong\u2019s vulnerability, resilience, grace and fighting spirit. The ensemble cast of Australian actors provides a rich, talented and authentic foundation for the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Official Trailer | Goolagong | ABC iview\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/cOaSh8wkrzU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Evonne\u2019s destiny unfolds when her family moves to Barellan, next door to a local tennis club. Her father, Kenny (multi-award-winning Wiradjuri actor Luke Carroll), works as an itinerant shearer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After being spotted by the local coach, Eve \u2013 as her family calls her \u2013 is invited by a Sydney coach, Vic Edwards (Marton Csokas), to assess her potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From there, her journey towards Wimbledon begins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Her training includes elocution and deportment lessons, as well as school and tennis instruction. The story focuses on her transition from girlhood to womanhood. It highlights the hardships that threaten to derail her ambitions \u2013 being away from her family, support and Country; unwanted sexual advances from her coach; the loneliness of tennis touring; and the doubts about the sacrifices she has made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All the while, you are cheering for her to rise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In all the turmoil she finds love, a companion and confidant in Roger Cawley (Felix Mallard), a young English journalist, who later would become her husband.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/710630\/original\/file-20260104-56-rgmwym.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/710630\/original\/file-20260104-56-rgmwym.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\" alt=\"A group of girls on a tennis court.\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>The story focuses on her transition from girlhood to womanhood. Here, Rilee Clarke plays a young Evonne Goolagong. ABC<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A story for all Australians<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This series is not just for tennis fans, who will relish the big tournament moments and the portrayal of renowned players of the time, such as John Newcombe, Margaret Court, Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. This is a story for all Australians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Skilfully directed by Batjala, Mununjali and Wakka Wakka man Wayne Blair, the series offers an in-depth look at the complexities of athletes\u2019 lives both on and off the field, and an intimate portrayal of an Indigenous family\u2019s life in rural Australia during the 1970s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The story is well-structured, written by Steven McGregor and Megan Simpson Huberman, and elevated by the moody echoes and rhythmic undertones of composers Cornel Wilczek and Alex Olijnyk. Katie Milwright\u2019s cinematography is strikingly tempered, creating a deeply affecting sense of distance between the warmth of rural New South Wales and the stark, solitary confines of behind-the-court bunkers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/710631\/original\/file-20260104-56-kzzk3l.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/710631\/original\/file-20260104-56-kzzk3l.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\" alt=\"Goolagong on the court.\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Tennis fans will relish the big tournament moments and the portrayal of renowned players of the time. ABC<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>The series is set in the 1970s, a period of significant social and political change worldwide. It is the age of the rise of women\u2019s rights, Aboriginal land rights and Apartheid \u2013 and all historical moments are foregrounded as Eve is asked to respond by her community in Australia, and by the press.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For her, however, sports should not be about politics. She wants to show the world that Aboriginal people are just as good as white people, and that everyone should be treated with respect and dignity, no matter the colour of their skin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Her story is of laying the foundations for future generations as a role model \u2013 work the real Goolagong continues today. Her legacy extends well beyond her remarkable athletic achievements: she has passionately advocated for Indigenous rights and education, using her platform to highlight the challenges faced by Indigenous Australians and to inspire broader conversations about cultural identity and representation in Australian sports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I have met Goolagong twice. Once, when I was at the Sydney Open with my nephew in the late 1990s, I asked her to sign his tennis ball, and she kindly agreed. The second time was during the development of the stage play, Sunshine Super Girl (2021), written and directed by Yorta Yorta playwright Andrea James. I sat next to her, and she leaned over to greet me with a warm and welcoming smile. I have never known her to be anything but gracious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Both the play and the mini-series are based on her biography Home! The Evonne Goolagong Story, first published in 1993 and co-authored with Phil Jarratt. While the staged story was groundbreaking, the mini-series delves even deeper and more intimately into her personal life, the international tennis circuit and what it takes to be the world\u2019s best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/liza-mare-syron-1188320\">Liza-Mare Syron<\/a>, Indigenous Scientia Senior Lecturer, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/unsw-sydney-1414\">UNSW Sydney<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">This article is republished from <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/goolagong-is-a-compelling-and-inspiring-mini-series-a-story-for-all-australians-271292\">original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Evonne Goolagong Cawley was one of Australia\u2019s greatest champions of all time. Goolagong, a compelling and inspiring three-part<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7931,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[51],"class_list":["post-7929","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","tag-tennis"],"aioseo_notices":[],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Goolagong_compressed.jpg",2008,1127,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Goolagong_compressed-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Goolagong_compressed-300x168.jpg",300,168,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Goolagong_compressed-768x431.jpg",640,359,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Goolagong_compressed-1024x575.jpg",640,359,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Goolagong_compressed-1536x862.jpg",1536,862,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Goolagong_compressed.jpg",2008,1127,false],"morenews-large":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Goolagong_compressed-825x575.jpg",825,575,true],"morenews-medium":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Goolagong_compressed-590x410.jpg",590,410,true]},"author_info":{"info":["admin"]},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/category\/international\/\" rel=\"category tag\">International<\/a>","tag_info":"International","comment_count":"0","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Goolagong_compressed.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7929","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7929"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7929\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7932,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7929\/revisions\/7932"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7931"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7929"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7929"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7929"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}