AFL Cairns: Representative footy to return in new season

Representative football will return to the AFL Cairns calendar in 2021, and Far North players could have the chance to play in an AFL curtain-raiser at Cazalys.

Representative football will return to the AFL Cairns calendar in 2021 after an ­enforced lay-off last year.

In exciting news for the Far North’s footy players, the intrastate representative clash between North Queensland and South Queensland will be played on the weekend of June 12-13, and is tentatively scheduled for Cairns, paving the way for a possible alignment to the Round 13 AFL Premiership match between St Kilda and Adelaide at ­Cazalys Stadium.

AFL Queensland had previously opted not to fixture the intrastate contest for the 2021 season, citing a tight budget following the coronavirus stoppage and the unprecedented impact on its leagues over the past 12 months.

However, the state’s governing body announced on Tuesday the match would make its return this year.

AFL Cairns players Skip Gribbon, Jordan Chapman and Brett McKeown representing the North Queensland side in 2018. PICTURE: ANNA ROGERS

AFL Cairns managing director Gary Young said the league welcomed the news.

“We think it’s a great way for our players to push themselves to a higher level and see how good they are,” he said.

“We’d like to see it played as a curtain-raiser to the big game, but we’re not sure what day that big game is going to be yet, so it’s a bit difficult.

“If it was on a Friday night, we certainly couldn’t have it as a curtain-raiser, but if it’s on a Saturday night or even a Saturday twilight game, we probably can.”

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AFL Cairns All Stars playing against the Cairns Indigenous/South Pacific team at Cazalys Stadium. Cairns All Stars' Cameron Johns. PICTURE: STEWART MCLEAN

Young said the representative clash between the Indigenous and South Pacific All Stars and the Cairns All Stars, which acts as a selection trial for the North Queensland side for FNQ-based footballers, would also return this season.

“We’re just messing around with the fixture, which we thought was pretty settled, to make sure it fits in,” he said.

This year will mark the seventh running of the clash since it was reintroduced in 2014.

North Queensland will be pleased to host the match in the warmth of the tropics as they try to arrest a four-game losing streak, which has the southerners holding a comfortable 4-2 series lead.

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AFL Cairns All Stars playing against the Cairns Indigenous/South Pacific team at Cazalys Stadium. Cairns All Stars' Corey Flint and Indigenous/South Pacific's Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow. PICTURE: STEWART MCLEAN

AFL Queensland community football manager Barry Gibson said it was fantastic to see the program return after an incredibly challenging 2020.

“The NQ v SQ clash is not only well supported and very popular with the players, but it’s a fantastic way to showcase some of the emerging talent that exists across the regional competitions and our QFA competitions,” he said.

“There’s been a host of exciting young payers, such as Joshua Mawson (Port Douglas to Aspley), Jasper Craven (Mayne to Aspley) and Fitzroy Greenwool (Cairns Saints to Broadbeach) that have played in this game and then moved on to play at a higher level, be it QAFL or the former NEAFL competition.”

Coaching announcements and further match details will be made over the coming month.

Originally published as AFL Cairns: Representative footy to return in new season