Legends of League: John Manning’s ‘thrill’ of playing alongside childhood heroes in Mackay exhibition game
Despite playing at the highest level for eight seasons, running out in the Legends of League match was labelled a ‘dream come true’ for a former Mackay footballer.
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Strapping on his boots and taping his shoulders and knees for an exhibition match well after retirement may have been a regretful decision, but a former Mackay footballer was giddy with excitement.
The chance to play alongside his idols in the Legends of League match in Mackay was a “dream come true” for John Manning.
The former Cowboy, who had played with plenty of NRL greats during his time in Townsville, said it was a “thrill” to play with his Mackay heroes.
“It was an incredible thrill to play with Rion Farmer, Ashley Tupia, Brett Jorgensen, Shannon Ahwang and others who I had watched play Mackay football as a kid,” he said.
“Those guys were such dominant forces running around in the Mackay competition when I was a junior, and to me that was a dream come true to watch and play with.
“So it was great that the game was played in very good spirits, we understood why we were there, it was for entertainment and that came through in the way the game was played.”
While the Legends of League exhibitions are another chance for the retired heroes of the sport to run around for entertainment, there is a deeper connection for Manning.
“I actually played in the first Legends of League game back in 1994 as a 16 year old, my schoolboys team for St Patrick’s played in a warm-up game at Lang Park (now Suncorp Stadium),” he said.
“We played in a national final as a curtain raiser for the main event, and then our players and the opposition acted as interchange for the main game.
“So it was pretty cool to come full circle playing another Legends of League game 28 years later.
“Especially playing in front of Mackay, it was a much bigger crowd than I expected so that was pretty special to play in front of my hometown.”
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Originally published as Legends of League: John Manning’s ‘thrill’ of playing alongside childhood heroes in Mackay exhibition game
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