AFL Cairns: 2021 fixture to put focus on ‘one-club mentality’

Community will be at the forefront in the 2021 AFL Cairns season, as the league welcomes a return to normality following a year of extraordinary change.

Community will be at the forefront in the 2021 AFL Cairns season, as the league welcomes a return to normality following a year of extraordinary change.

AFL Cairns released its senior men’s, reserves and women’s fixtures on Tuesday, with the competition to revert back to its regular start date and season length in 2021.

Operations manager Craig Lees said clubs would play a full season, with the first round starting on April 10.

“We’re really excited by the fact that we’ve got 16 rounds of footy over 19 weeks,” he said.

AFL Cairns released its senior men’s, reserves and women’s fixtures on Tuesday. North Cairns Tigers' Tarin Moke and Cairns Saints' Jake O'Halloran. Picture: Stewart McLean

“The clubs voted at the end of last season and everyone wanted this season to return to normal. There will be COVID restrictions and guidelines in place for the season, but we revert back to the 2019 draw.”

Lees said he was excited by the number of community rounds clubs were embracing this year, including Anzac Round, Women’s Round, Stand Up Against Domestic Violence Round, Indigenous Round and Pride Round.

“I think that’s critical to establishing really good football clubs and a great community league,” Lees said.

He said the league had made an effort to “tie-in” its men’s, reserves and women’s fixtures and give clubs triple-headers where possible.

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“It means the women’s competition will play 16 games of footy this season, but every single club is really tight with their women’s side now, and we think it’s really important to start embracing that one-club mentality,” he said.

The 2021 season will also make use of the new lighting facilities at both Griffiths and Fretwell Park.

Cairns Saints will play under lights at Griffiths Park for the first time in Anzac Round, taking on Centrals Trinity Beach in a twilight match, while South Cairns will launch their new lights at Fretwell Park against Saints the following week.

Saints centre half-forward Jake O’Halloran said he was looking forward to playing under lights this season.

AFL Cairns release the mens and women's senior fixtures. AFL Cairns Operations Manager Craig Lees. Picture: Stewart McLean

“It’s exciting,” he said.

“I haven’t played too many night games myself, only the grand final, which was good.

“It will be a good attribute for the club as well.”

The grand final replay between Port Douglas and Cairns Saints will be played in Round 5.

The match will take centrestage for Pink in the Tropics, with clubs to raise funds for breast cancer research.

2021 AFL CAIRNS SEASON — KEY DATES

■ Round 1 on April 10.

■ Anzac Round (Round 3) on April 24-25.

■ Women’s Round on May 8.

■ AFL Cairns All Stars rep clash on May 14.

■ Stand Up Against Domestic Violence Round on May 29.

■ Indigenous Round on June 5.

■ Competition bye weekend on June 12-13 for the annual North Queensland v South Queensland rep clash and Saints v Crows AFL match, to be played at Cazalys.

■ Pride Round on August 21.

■ Finals start first weekend of September, with the grand final on September 18.

Originally published as AFL Cairns: 2021 fixture to put focus on ‘one-club mentality’