FNQ STILL PRODUCING

Q The game of footy in Cairns must be so different these days than when you came through the ranks a decade ago in terms of professionalism and interest. What are you memories of your early days of footy at Centrals?

A I wish I was more in touch with footy in Cairns these days but my life is a little bit crazy down here at the minute. Whenever I go back to Cairns, I always try to drop into Centrals and have a run with the girls and run a session if they are keen for it. I do like to stay in touch. I have met quite a lot of the young talent that has come out of Cairns and also through coaching the 18-year-olds and I can see the quality that is coming through. I understand that the programs in Queensland are strong. When I played in Cairns, we were pretty strong for a small place. Cairns is a place where people really embrace their sport so it is great to know that is still progressing. I do not keep in touch as much as I would like these days though, but I am super supportive of the girls up there. Q Brisbane’s first home game is this weekend and will be broadcast live on Fox Footy. The Lions play GWS Giants. What do you need to do to beat them? A We are coming up against a really good side, they have a lot of great players. They are strong through their midfield. We have a talented bunch too. We are focusing on bringing energy, effort, voice and intensity. We have a lot of respect for our opponents this week. We know we need to knuckle down and dig deep.