Lion-hearted battlers win plenty of respect
Superb synergy between young and old sends spirits soaring ... briefly
A FEW weeks ago I saw a special kind of courage.
It was the fourth quarter at Cazalys Stadium on a dreary Saturday afternoon. The fourth-placed Manunda Hawks were en route to potentially the largest win in the club’s storied history over the dead-last Cairns City Lions.
With the margin ballooning out to around 260 points, the Lions’ weary full-forward ventured up the grandstand wing and called for the football from a pimple-faced teen young enough to be his son.
The kick was pretty good and so was the lead as the Hawks defender sprinted haplessly behind him for the first time all day.
The leap on the old-timer was superlative and he clutched the ball from out of the sky with the grace of a man who had clearly taken a big mark or two before.
For a moment there was a silver lining to a sorry day for the Lions. The beautiful synergy between young and old. An old rooster showing a thing or two before retiring to the clubhouse bar for the last time.
The paltry crowd oohed with glee as he floated skyward. Then came the landing. Having leapt with such commitment, the old forward had given little consideration to what would happen next.
I winced as his right knee buckled under the weight of What do you think of this? twitter.com/The CairnsPost and tell us what you think his body. He howled in pain as the trainer sprinted out with the stretcher already in tow.
It summed up a terrible year for the winless Lions, who are on track to become statistically the worst team in AFL Cairns’ history. At one stage this year, the Lions suffered five consecutive losses by margins of 217, 283, 271 and 235 points.
But they may also be one of the bravest teams.
Just like their old full-forward, the proud Lions haven’t bowed their heads all year.
And while they won’t win a match this season, they’ve certainly won plenty of respect.
The team is often cobbled together right up until the first bounce.
Coach and club legend Syd Fatnowna played alongside his nephew, Toby, recently while committee member Michael Dudink played in the same game as his son two weeks ago.
There’s also the odd quality senior player ‘sticking fat’ and playing on in the face of insurmountable odds.
It’s admirable but it’s also a sign the Lions need our help.
There are just seven teams in the Cairns competition and to lose one would be catastrophic. Especially one as brave as these Lions.