Hundreds of Torres Strait Islanders have converged on Thursday Island for the biggest event on the region's sporting calendar.

The Zenadth Kes or Torres Strait Cup draws teams from several island communities each year, with some players arriving on dinghies to take part.

Seven men and three women teams have been battling through the ferocious heat of the day and into the night at the Ken Brown Memorial Oval since Friday.

Each tackle threw up plumes of dust and the relentless wind buffeted the the palm trees along the waterfront and gazebos around the field, where fans took shelter.

The fierce contest has seen local councillors pit their strength and skill against current and former NRL players including Timana Tahu and Travis Waddell.

So far two players have been taken from the field by ambulance suffering ankle and neck injuries.

But every match has ended with both sides forming a circle, interlocking arms, cheering for their opponent and celebrating unity and islander culture.

James Livok Ronson, 26, has travelled from Sydney to play for the Badu Island side Kulpiyam.

Players battled through the searing heat. ( ABC News: Sharnie Kim )

"It's good to see all the islands come in as one and this is our culture so this is what we do, we come here for football and have big family gatherings. It's just a privilege. Makes you feel good to be a Torres Strait Islander," he said.

Moa (St Pauls) Island women's side Deddayal Gummaz are chasing their fifth grand final win.

Player Lily Solomon from Cairns said the event was a chance for those living on the mainland to bond with family.

"We're all families and sisters sitting here now, to represent our island."

Thursday Island-born George Sailor, 14, is refereeing his first Torres Strait Cup.

After starting out as a ball boy in New Mapoon aged eight, George was mentored by Cairns and District Rugby League (CDRL) leaders, and has since done a refereeing course in Cairns while studying at Peace Lutheran College on a scholarship.

"It's pretty hard to get somebody like me doing it from an Indigenous community," he said.

"I want to go into the Queensland Cup then work my way up to the NRL so hopefully one day I'll get up there."

Rod "Hairy" McCrae, 67, is refereeing the cup for the 21st straight year, and remembers having to shift large rocks off the dirt field before play.

"When I first come up here it was like the old warriors of old. They'd charge at each other and hit them with everything they had and then they'd get up and pat each other on the back and say, 'Good tackle brother', and get on with the game."

He said the level of fitness, understanding of rules and quality of play is now "right up there with the best of them", with Torres Strait sides often dominating Queensland's Murri Cup.