AFL footy masters at work
FOOTY diehards from Cairns and Townsville had a ball as they relived their glory days at Holloways Beach Sporting Complex on Saturday.
Cairns Stingers rallied from a three-goal deficit to defeat Townsville Sharks in the first of three games between the AFL Masters clubs in 2019.
The Sharks had the better boot early and were up by three goals at three-quarter time, before the Stingers kicked four goals to nil in a frantic final quarter to nab victory.
Cairns rover Rob Johnston and ruckman Darren McQueen both wound the clock back with vintage performances.
Stingers teammate Stephen Turner said the on-ballers were instrumental in wrestling back momentum in the final term, while tropical weather made for testing conditions.
“We had a bit of rain early but once that stopped it was so humid and slippery,” he said.
The two teams will play a second game in Townsville in May.
“The way it works is we always win in Cairns and they always win in Townsville,” said Turner. “At the end of the year, we have a game in Cardwell and that’s always the decider.”
This year the National AFL Masters Carnival will be held in Townsville from September 29-October 5.
Turner said there was hope of entering a North Queensland team into the tournament, made up of Townsville and Cairns players.
If you are interested in dusting off your boots, get along to a Cairns Stingers training session at Holloways Beach Sporting Complex, Wednesdays at 5.30pm.