Record crowd turns out for special Queensland Maroons Fan Day
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Exactly 100 years to the day after a galloping Western Clydesdales beat Great Britain 23-20 on the same ground, a record crowd welcomed the mighty Queensland Maroons to Toowoomba for a special fan day event.
More than 5000 people proved Toowoomba and the Darling Downs is Maroons country as they gave the players a rock star reception while coach Billy Slater put them through their paces.
Queensland captain Daly Cherry-Evans said the buzz throughout the town was felt by the players long before they ran out onto the ground.
“It’s amazing, as we were driving in, you could sort of sense it in the streets, loooking out the window in the bus it was going to be busy,” he said.
“To have the whole field two and three deep with Queensland people, it’s amazing, it makes us feel very special and we’re really grateful to be standing here as Queensland players.”
The honour to lead his side out every game as Origin captain was something that is not lost on the Cherry-Evans, who cherishes every moment he puts on the famous maroon jersey.
“I’m arguably the luckiest person in Queensland, I get to call myself the captain of Queensland and on gameday I get to run out first,” he said.
“Whether we are at the MCG or in Sydney, it’s still special but running out to Suncorp is the most special feeling.”
Nearly the entire Laidley Lions Under-11 Black side were among the Maroons faithful lining every vantage point of Clive Berghofer Stadium to see their heroes in action.
“It’s an amazing opportunity for our team to be inspired, to see some of their heroes in action,” team manager Loz Bell said.
“Nearly our whole team is here plus a few other players from the club as well.
“Most of the team have been together for about four years now and we welcome a few new players every season.
“They’re a great bunch of kids and we have a great group of parents as well.
“This is a perfect chance for them to bond and come together as a team.”
For the Millers the opportunity to experience another Maroons Fan Day was simply too good to pass up.
The Highfields family enjoyed the Warwick Maroons Fan Day so much they simply had to attend their ‘local’ event.
“We went to the Warwick fan day and it was amazing,” Geoff Millar said.
“We’re a rugby league family and we couldn’t miss this opportunity.
“It’s great to see all the players, all of them are good with the fans and it’s inspirational for the kids to see their heroes.”
For students Jasmine Villegas and Stella Stangherlin it was the opportunity of lifetime to meet their hero Reece Walsh.
“This is my first time seeing the Maroons,” Villegas said.
“I am really excited – Reece Walsh is my favourite (player).”
Walsh was given a rock star treatment by the fans as he made his way around the stadium signing autographs and posing for photos.
The Maroons and Broncos star was equally excited to be in the Garden City to give back to his loyal fans.
“It’s good to get back out here in Toowoomba and see all the Queenslanders coming out to support,” he said.
“It brings a smile to your face being out here and just grateful for what we do really, it is amazing.
“We touch on who we do it for throughout the whole week and it’s a credit to the Queenslanders.
“There are five and a half million people that support their rugby league team and us as players, just extremely grateful and honoured to pull on this jersey and do it for them.
“To have all the kids out here and all the families come out and show support for their team, it is amazing.
“We know who we do it for and they turn up for us each and every game and just to have them out here supporting us, it’s the next generation and it’s pretty amazing to see all the kids out here.
“It’s pretty cold so they’re doing an awesome job to sit back, watch training and get behind us so really grateful.”
Kurt Capewell also cherished the opportunity to give back to the community in the western region.
“It’s amazing, still got close ties at home, Charleville 4470 where I’m from,” he said.
“It’s something that I’ve represented my whole career with pride, it’s a great place to grow up and it’s a great place to get back out to for holidays as well.”
While Toowoomba is not as far west as his home town, the Garden City still holds a special place in Capewell’s heart.
“It’s a satellite home for us, I’ve got two brothers that live here, we were definitely in Toowoomba a lot as kids and growing up this is where we played a lot of our sports,” he said.
“It’s great to get back out here and you can see by the turnout what it means to people of the Darling Downs area and not just that, the wider region all the way up to Warwick and Chinchilla, kids coming here from everywhere.
“So it is awesome to be able to get here and give back in a little way and hopefully we can give back in the ultimate way next week.”
Tom Dearden was also excited to train in front of the Darling Downs - a region which is almost a second home for him.
“It means a lot, I’ve got family that are in Toowoomba so it means a lot to be able to come out here,” he said.
“To see the massive turnout, it just shows what it means to the region and to Queensland people.”
Originally published as Record crowd turns out for special Queensland Maroons Fan Day
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