Wheelchair footballer Judeland Antony is driven to be the best he can be.

He's competitive, hard-working and thrives in a team environment.

With a smile on his face, Antony laughs when he also describes himself as "annoying".

"I am a defender, I'm quick and I'm annoying," Antony said.

"Defending is one of the hardest positions in the court – you have to have an eye on the player and on the ball. 

"So the tactic is just keep moving, and just push as hard as you can when the ball comes into your lane."

Antony was born in Sri Lanka and moved to Australia when he was 13. 

His family was fleeing a civil war that had put Antony himself in the line of fire.

"Back in 1996 when I was in Sri Lanka, we had a bomb blast," Antony said.

"Sri Lanka itself had a civil war happening and I just got caught up in the crossfire.

"When I was 11 years old, I got hit by a bomb on my spine and it affected my nerves and so I was paraplegic, T12 incomplete, and since the injury I lost the ability to walk."

Antony had an uncle living in Australia at the time, who sponsored his family's move to Melbourne.

"Back in those days, I did not have much of a future in Sri Lanka, so it was a challenge for me and for my family as well," Antony recalled.

"We're blessed that back then, my uncle was able to give us a future like this, which allowed us to play, and enjoy, and represent, and be valued in this country."

When Antony moved to Australia, like many people from overseas, he thought that Australian football referred to soccer.

"When I came here, they would say football, and I was a bit confused," Antony recalled.

"I was like, what is this sport they play? I thought it was rugby. Then I realised rugby is different, soccer is different, football is different, footy is different, so I tried to find the difference. 

"I figured out it was Aussie rules, which is AFL, which is only played in Australia, and it's so important, like a religion for Australians, which is great that I'm being a part of that."

Antony quickly fell in love with the game after being told about wheelchair football by a friend.

"It just gets your excitement levels high," he explained.

"It's something that if you play once, you're never going to get away from it, you will keep coming back. It's kind of like an addiction."

The 2025 Toyota AFL Open is also Antony's eighth appearance. The four-day tournament is for wheelchair players and footballers with an intellectual disability.

Watching the Victorians play, it's physical, hard and competitive – everything football should be.

"I've seen people break their feet, I've seen people injure their elbows, their hips," Antony said.

"People do get injuries, but you can't play Aussie rules softly. 

"We don't want to take that aggression away from football just because we are playing in a different league. We don't want people to look at it any other way. 

"So we want to make sure we keep footy as footy, respect what is involved in the court, and be mindful, and play to your maximum."