Qld Footy

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22nd March 2011

The opening game of the inaugural Foxtel Cup between Morningside and the NT Thunder to be played this Saturday, 26th March, has been moved from the Gabba to AAMI Stadium, Adelaide. The AFL made the surprise announcement late yesterday afternoon. So we’ll have to wait a little longer to see the Thunder take on the Panthers in Brisbane for the first time. For followers of the game in Queensland or the Territory, you’ll need to hop on a plane and get yourself a ticket to the Adelaide Crows-Hawthorn game (to be played afterwards) if you want to go! The game will be broadcast by Foxtel on Saturday afternoon.

18th February 2011

In a report on the new Foxtel Cup, the long-running footy newspaper Inside Football scored three out of three in getting the QAFL teams’ 2010 positions wrong. Last week’s edition of the paper had Labrador premiers (actually second), Morningside second (premiers) and the NT Thunder sixth (fifth). I sent off an email to the paper pointing out the error of their ways, but I can’t see any correction in this week’s issue.

11th February 2011

The AFL has just confirmed the introduction of the Foxtel Cup in 2011 - a knockout, Champions League-type competition featuring teams from the various state league competitions around Australia, along with Greater Western Sydney. Morningside and the Northern Territory Thunder will have the honour of kicking off the competition when they meet on 26th March at the Gabba as a curtain-raiser to the Brisbane Lions-Fremantle AFL clash. Labrador is the other Queensland team involved this season, and will play their Round 1 game against North Adelaide at the Gabba on 21st May. All of the games will be shown nationally on pay TV.

The Panthers’ clash with the Thunder will be historic for more than one reason. Not only will it be the first-ever match in the new competition, it will be the first time the two sides have met in Brisbane, despite the Northern Territory boys having competed in the QAFL for two seasons. The sides have met twice in Darwin, once in Alice Springs and once in Cairns in that time.

15th January 2011

How sad it was to see the Western Magpies’ Chelmer ground covered by floodwater. Let’s hope that the club can recover quickly. It brought back chilling memories of images of the neighbouring Western Districts clubhouse (as it was then) with water nearly to the rooftop in 1974.

The new AFLQ headquarters and the adjacent Yeronga footy club clubhouse have also been inundated. The AFLQ building, situated at Cansdale Street, Yeronga, is three storeys in height and material from the ground level has thankfully been moved upstairs where possible. Several other football administration centres around the state have also sadly been affected by flooding.

2nd January 2011

The Gold Coast Suns’ recent arrivals will be wondering if the club has made an appropriate choice of nickname. With all the rain we’ve had, the players from interstate who’ve only been on the coast for a couple of months must be wondering if the sun ever shines at their new home.

21st December 2010

The draw for the 2011 NEAFL has just been announced. Further details of the Northern Conference draw are available at the AFLQ website here.

20th November 2010

Thursday night's AFL national draft saw the Suns take classy midfielder David Swallow with the No. 1 selection, midfielder Harley Bennell at No. 2 and key forward Sam Day at No. 3. Swallow finished fourth this year in the VFL's best-and-fairest count.

It was great to see Thunder tall forward Zephi Skinner taken at pick No. 88 in the draft by the Western Bulldogs. Skinner was a runaway winner in this year’s QAFL Rising Star Award.

12th November 2010

Yesterday’s exciting announcement of the introduction of the new North East Australian Football League (NEAFL) in 2011 was no real surprise, a high-quality second tier competition having been on the agenda for a couple of years. The new competition effectively combines the QAFL and AFL Canberra. The QAFL, which of course includes the Northern Territory Thunder, will be officially known as the Northern Conference, whilst AFL Canberra will be known as the Eastern Conference.

The new league will feature several ‘cross-conference’ games in which all clubs will have the opportunity to play teams from interstate. Each conference will still play for its own premiership, after which the NEAFL Grand Final will be played between the two conference winners. The league will feature the reserve grade teams of the Brisbane Lions, Gold Coast Suns, Sydney Swans and Greater Western Sydney Giants.

31st October 2010

The AFL premiership draw for 2011 has just been released. Queensland will host games in 22 weeks of the 24-week season. A summary of the draw, along with lists of all Queensland games, all Lions games and all Suns games can be viewed at the AFLQ website here.

6th October 2010

The Gold Coast Suns’ list is starting to take shape. They can now add Gary Ablett’s name to those of Nathan Bock, Nathan Krakouer, Michael Rischitelli, Campbell Brown and Jarrod Harbrow. Not to mention youngsters Zac Smith, Maverick Weller, David Swallow, Brandon Matera and Charlie Dixon. The National Draft, to be held on the Gold Coast on 18th November, should complete the puzzle.

29th September 2010

Well done to all involved with the production of the QAFL Weekly Wrap, shown every Friday night throughout the season on the Foxtel Main Event channel (channel 518). All of the presenters and commentators possess an intimate knowledge of the local game, and let’s hope the show is back in 2011.

20th September 2010

A storming finish by Morningside in yesterday’s Grand Final at Giffin Park, Coorparoo, ended Labrador’s hopes of a first-ever QAFL flag. Six goals from Joe Grant Medallist Kent Abey and four last-quarter majors from Shaun Mugavin helped the Panthers overcome a 20-point deficit early in the final term to secure their eighth flag. It’s the third time Morningside has registered back-to-back flags in the club’s history (see pics at right).

13th September 2010

Morningside withstood a fast-finishing Southport to win a tense Preliminary Final at Giffin Park yesterday. Having trailed by 28 points at the last change, the Sharks typically never gave in, ultimately losing by just 7 points despite scoring one more goal than the Panthers (see pics at right).

7th September 2010

Southport ended Mt Gravatt’s eight-game winning run - and their season - by thumping the Vultures by 67 points in the First Semi-Final at Fankhauser Reserve on Saturday.

Labrador produced a great final quarter comeback to beat Morningside by 7 points in the Second Semi-Final at Cooke-Murphy Oval on Sunday to move into their first QAFL Grand Final.

Southport skipper Danny Wise has won the J A Grogan Medal for the QAFL’s best-and-fairest player for 2010. Wise polled 15 votes to win by two from teammate Darren Pfeiffer, Labrador’s Jason Howard and Redland captain Phil Carse.

Marcus Ashcroft has been elevated to ‘Legend’ status in the Queensland Australian Football Hall of Fame at the 2010 Grogan Medal dinner. Ashcroft, who is now the Football Manager of the Gold Coast Suns, became the first Queenslander to play 300 AFL games. He becomes the eighth Queensland Hall of Fame ‘Legend’. Further details of the Hall of Fame can be found here.

31st August 2010

Mt Gravatt edged out a gutsy NT Thunder in the Elimination Final at Coorparoo on Sunday. The Thunder put aside their pre-game travel problems to trail by just one straight kick late in the final quarter, before the Vultures surged to ultimately prevail by 31 points (see pics at right).

Morningside set up a Second Semi-Final clash with minor premiers Labrador by beating Southport by 43 points in a willing clash at Fankhauser Reserve on Sunday.

After it all started so promisingly, the Lions will probably be glad to put season 2010 to bed. After four win in their opening four games, only three more wins followed, 13th place on the ladder being the upshot. Let’s hope the boys can bounce back from this ‘character-building’ year to bigger and better things in 2011.

28th August 2010

The Mt Gravatt-NT Thunder Elimination Final has been moved from today to Sunday 29th August at 2pm, owing to the Thunder having had their original flight from Darwin cancelled as a result of mechanical problems.

25th August 2010

Labrador secured their first minor premiership with their victory over the Brisbane Lions at Cooke-Murphy Oval on Saturday. Nonetheless, it shapes as a very even finals series, with any one of the five finalists seemingly capable of going all the way. As in 2009, Mt Gravatt take some great form into the finals, having won their last seven games. The Vultures take on the Thunder in the Elimination Final at Coorparoo on Saturday, while Southport play Morningside at Fankhauser Reserve on Sunday in the Qualifying Final. Of the teams to miss out on finals action, Aspley were the notable movers late in the season, finishing strongly to climb to seventh.

17th August 2010

It was good to see a big crowd turn out at Darwin’s Gardens Oval to watch the home side prevail over competition leaders Labrador on Saturday night. And Mt Gravatt are hitting form at the right time of the season, notching their sixth consecutive victory with success over Southport at Fankhauser Reserve.

6th August 2010

With three rounds remaining before the finals, Labrador have taken top spot on the ladder after Redland’s first-ever win over Southport. Only percentage separates the Bombers from a top-five position, and the NT Thunder, currently in fifth place, will be desperate to avoid a repeat of last year’s disappointing late slide out of finals contention.

The Lions have had the season from hell, and, depending on the scoreline, could slip to bottom with defeat by the Eagles in Perth on Saturday night.

28th July 2010

The new Gold Coast AFL team will be known as the Suns. The nickname, club song, and home, away and clash jerseys were all unveiled last week at a Southport celebration dinner. The home jersey is mainly red, with yellow panels down the sides.

23rd July 2010

Last Sunday Morningside and Southport turned on a great contest which typified the two sides’ long rivalry. An excellent crowd at Esplen Oval saw the Panthers take the points in a close tussle after the Sharks had led early in the game. Paul Shelton’s high hovering grab and steadying goal midway through the last quarter brought the home crowd to its feet.

There are no games in the QAFL this weekend. With four rounds left before the finals, the current top five teams may take some dislodging. Redland, after a nail-biting win over the Lions last weekend, sit in sixth only a game away, but they do have a difficult run home.

14th July 2010

The race for the QAFL premiership has opened up after the top two teams were both beaten on the weekend: Southport at home by neighbours Labrador - the Sharks’ first-ever loss to the Tigers at Fankhauser - and Morningside by the Thunder in Darwin. Labrador move back into second place as a result. Southport travel to Esplen Oval to take on their old rivals Morningside on Sunday.

You have to hand it to AFLQ Football Operations Manager Marty King and journalist Ron McDonald - two blokes whose knowledge of the local competition is arguably unsurpassed. The two are regular commentators on the Foxtel weekly wrap broadcast on Friday nights. In the background of the top picture of the Western Magpies-Aspley game on the right of screen, the pair can be seen fulfilling their commentary role atop the club roof at Chelmer.

6th July 2010

Two fairly big upsets highlighted Round 12 of the QAFL. Mt Gravatt hammered Labrador at Cooke-Murphy Oval to move into the top five, and Redland scored a great come-from-behind 10-point win over the Thunder in Alice Springs. The only surprise in the other three games was the wide margin in each: Southport over Broadbeach - who it has to be said were missing a number of key players, Morningside over quite a strong Lions side and Aspley over the Western Magpies. The winless ’Pies had hopes of toppling the second-bottom Hornets, but on the day Aspley looked a class above their opponents (see pics at right).

After twelve rounds, was Gold Coast Bulletin scribe Nick Smart’s comment yesterday a fair call? In his piece on Southport’s big win over Broadbeach, Nick wrote ‘The Sharks are undoubtedly the best team in the QAFL Division One competition this season’. Yes, Southport look the team to beat at the moment, but a few other teams who have had a dreadful run with injuries and a lack of consistent availability of players, will certainly be out to prove him wrong.

It doesn’t get any easier for the Lions who are facing a tough run in the AFL with St Kilda, Hawthorn and Geelong their next three opponents. At five wins and nine losses, the finals look to be almost out of reach. It’ll be interesting to see whether Michael Voss gives some younger players a taste of AFL in the last few games of the season if and when hopes for finals are gone.

It was good to see the Lions’ club spirit alive and kicking with a healthy number of the AFL players at Hawthorne Park on Sunday lending their support to the Lions Reserves against Morningside. The club has reached a little over 29,000 members this year, just shy of their target of 30,000, and what a wonderful thing it would be if supporters rallied in numbers behind the club at a time when they’re doing it a bit tougher than expected. I remember reading an article a couple of months ago about Richmond having over 40,000 members at the time - when things seemed about as low as they could go for the Tigers.

28th June 2010

There were no real surprises in QAFL matches on the weekend. Broadbeach and Morningside turned on a last-quarter show for the large crowd at Merrimac. The Cats and Panthers, in the curtain-raiser to the Gold Coast’s VFL game against Frankston, kicked 14 goals between them in a final quarter in which each side respectively took control. The Karmichael Hunt factor is proving a genuine source of interest for many, and different reports estimated the crowd for the VFL game at between 4000 and 5000. And this Saturday, Southport and Broadbeach provide the early game to the Gold Coast-Box Hill VFL match at Fankhauser Reserve.

All teams have now played the same number of matches after the Lions and Mt Gravatt had had their Round 11 match at the Gabba moved to the start of the season. The game was played as a curtain-raiser to the Lions-Carlton AFL clash on the Thursday before Easter, the shift being made to give the QAFL Lions a break on the same weekend as their AFL counterparts.

The venue for the QAFL Grand Final, to be held on 19th September, is yet to be announced. In the Foxtel weekly wrap on Friday night, AFLQ Football Operations Manager Marty King indicated that, in the event of an all-Gold Coast Grand Final, the game would most likely be played on the Coast. At the moment Southport and Labrador sit one and two on the ladder.

25th June 2010

Speaking of speccies, how could I forget two more great grabs which were a feature of games on the weekend? Labrador’s Michael Doyle athletically soared over Morningside’s Sam Brown to pull in a screamer over his head during the Tigers’ stellar last quarter, somehow managing to stay on his feet on landing. And former Labrador boy, Michael Osborne, flew high at the MCG in a fabulous last quarter of footy to help Hawthorn to victory over Essendon.

21st June 2010

Are we heading for an all-Gold Coast QAFL Grand Final? Southport and Labrador both looked impressive in defeating the Lions and Morningside respectively on the weekend. The Sharks sit on top of the ladder with the Tigers one game back.

Football crazy? You be the judge. After taking in the first half of the Southport-Lions game at Coorparoo on Saturday, I headed for the Thunder-Mt Gravatt game at Dittmer Park, arriving about five minutes into the third quarter. As if that wasn’t enough, I went along to the Labrador-Morningside game at Hawthorne Park on Sunday. See pics of all three games at right.

It’s the season for speccies. There have been some great grabs in recent weeks. Last year’s Grogan Medallist Nathan Gilliland hovered long and high before securing his mark at Broadbeach. The Hornets’ Bryce Carroll launched himself vertically and horizontally to pull in a screamer in the goal square at Graham Road against the Lions. Then in the state game, Cameron Maclaren’s brilliant high chest mark was followed by Aaron Rogers’ terrific two-storey overhead grab.

To the AFL, and although down on personnel and confidence, for me the current plight of the Lions is as much about a lack of depth as anything else. Michael Voss has not used injuries as an excuse, and rightly so. Let’s hope they can regroup over the break.

17th June 2010

The South Brisbane footy club was formed 100 years ago this year. To help celebrate this wonderful milestone, the Yeronga South Brisbane Football Club will be holding a Centenary Dinner at the Brisbane Convention Centre, South Brisbane, on Saturday 17th July. If you’re interested in going, please refer to this letter from the club’s President, Sam Corless, for further information and contact details.

14th June 2010

Queensland’s resounding win over Tasmania on Saturday was a fine team effort (see pics at right). An even first quarter gave no indication of the final margin. The Maroons played an exciting brand of football to convincingly turn around a 49-point defeat to the Apple Islanders in 2009.

A few days before the interstate game, I had the pleasure to meet a gentleman named David McKellar, and in so doing, learn a little more about Queensland's footy history. David's grandfather, Ralph McKellar, captained the Queensland team which played in the first-ever interstate carnival - in Melbourne in 1908. This carnival included Queensland’s first-ever match against Tasmania - a game won by the Apple Islanders by 140 points. David’s family has long held a photo of the 1908 Queensland team. With the recent help of the Melbourne Cricket Club librarian, it was discovered that grandfather Ralph had actually captained the side and the family was finally able to put names to the faces. The AFLQ website has published an interesting piece on this story. Here is the photo as it appeared - without names - in the Saturday Sports Observer newspaper in 1908; Ralph McKellar as captain is holding the football (image is clickable):

There were no QAFL matches on the weekend owing to the interstate game. Competition will resume on Saturday 19th June.

The Lions’ clash with Richmond at the Gabba this Saturday suddenly shapes as an even-money bet. In terms of current form, the two teams are about as far apart as you could get, and the Lions look as vulnerable as they have for quite a while. Still, a week is a long time in footy....

No footballer has been more scrutinised than Karmichael Hunt recently, and I commend him for the way he’s carried himself. His debut performance in the VFL on Saturday was creditable, although there’s obviously a long way to go in terms of his reading of the game and his stamina.

12th June 2010

Queensland has scored a big win over Tasmania this afternoon at Fankhauser Reserve, Southport. After five goals apiece in the first quarter, Queensland drew away to win 23-26 (164) to 13-7 (85). More details (and pics) will appear in the weekend wrap.

7th June 2010

The wait is almost over - Queensland meet Tasmania at 2pm at Fankhauser Reserve, Southport this Saturday, 12th June. If you can be there, get along and cheer on the Maroons. Players from the QAFL’s NT Thunder are eligible for the Queensland team.

Southport (only one loss), Morningside and Labrador (two losses each) all won on the weekend and have a two-game break at the top of the QAFL ladder. In a very even competition, only one win separates the next five teams.

On AFL matters - unless the Lions can urgently overcome the problem of poor starts in matches - something which has plagued them since the start of last season - they will struggle to make the finals. It cost them dearly on the weekend. They know it’s happening, but fixing the problem is another kettle of fish.

There’ll be great interest in Karmichael Hunt’s expected debut for the Gold Coast this weekend. The Coasters play their Round 9 VFL clash against Coburg at Craigieburn this Saturday, 12th June, at 1pm.

Last week the AFLQ launched a new website. The address is www.aflq.com.au. Early indications are that they've done a great job with it.

Talking about online matters, AFL Queensland also has a Facebook page at:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/AFL-Queensland/23581461065

31st May 2010

The big result in QAFL Round 8 action on the weekend was the Northern Territory Thunder's defeat of the previously unbeaten Southport in Darwin, elevating the Thunder to fifth on the ladder. The Sharks, however, still remain one game clear on top.

Don't forget - this weekend, on Saturday 5th June, the Western Magpies play their Round 9 game against Morningside at Heritage Oval in Toowoomba. The 'Pies pushed the Lions all the way in their game at Coorparoo on Saturday.

Not long to go to the Queensland-Tasmania clash at Fankhauser Reserve, Southport on Saturday 12th June. Queensland won the 2007 clash while Tassie turned the tables last year. Both of these games were in the Apple Isle. Be sure you get along and support the Maroons.

Great Dennis Cometti-isms are widely reported and many. There was another classic in the last quarter of the Essendon-Bulldogs game on Friday night. Delighted by a clever piece of footwork by Nathan Lovett-Murray, Cometti enthusiastically remarked 'That was a lovely little shimmy....Lovett went one way, Murray went the other, they were left chasing the hyphen....'.

It was a stirring win by the Lions on Saturday night, and a great way for Luke Power to remember his 250th game. He played a blinder too, kicking the goal which put the boys in front in the last quarter. I'd like to give a wrap to our defenders including Joel Patfull, Ash McGrath, Travis Johnstone and Brent Staker. There was a long period in the last quarter when Collingwood had a lot of the ball and threatened to finish over the top of us, but the defence held strong.

I note from the Lions website that, as at 26th May, the Lions need just 1,162 more members to reach their target of 30,000 this year. It would be great to get there, and with the 3-game memberships proving very popular, they might just do it with a late surge before the 30th June deadline. There are still five home-and-away games left at the Gabba this year, the next being against Richmond on the 19th June, the first time Brisbane has played the Tigers at the Gabba since April 2006.

The qldfooty.com Website

Welcome and Overview
Welcome to qldfooty.com, a website for fans of AFL in Queensland. If you love AFL and follow the game in the state of Queensland, or would like to know a little about the game’s history in Queensland, this website is for you. Visitors from other places might also find the website of interest.

My name is Greg Parker. I, and a group of fellow AFL fanatics, share a love of the game and a passion to learn more about the game’s history. One of our goals is to ensure that the game’s long, rich history in Queensland is thoroughly and accurately documented. This website is an important part of our journey to achieving that goal.

Aside from the history aspect, the website aims to provide an independent look at the game in Queensland, offering a commentary on leading local competitions and the main AFL competition from a Queensland viewpoint.

I don’t want to ‘reinvent the wheel’ by rehashing information which is presented elsewhere. To this end, certain sections (such as the history of the AFL competition) will be kept relatively brief. Links to other excellent resources will be found in some places.

History Projects
Can you help us in our efforts to comprehensively document the history of the game in Queensland? You can read more about our history projects and why there is currently such a void of information on the subject here.

Here on the website we share with you a little of the game’s past in Queensland. We intend to add more and more information over time, including information on all of the state’s regional leagues.