Stars out to shine at night
Rep game a chance for Cairns’ best to put on a show
It is one of the most exciting weekends on the AFL Cairns fixture according to operations manager Ben Carbis.
The annual All-Stars v IndigenousSouth Pacific clash takes place on Friday night under lights at Cazalys Stadium.
Carbis said it had been a long time coming.
“It is probably one of the best weekends we have on our fixture every year and this year feels like it is going to be bigger than ever,” Carbis said.
“It has all worked out perfectly, the placement of the round, tying in Sir Doug Nicolls second week in the AFL.
“Last year we had it as the curtain raiser for the AFL game here, which was really exciting.
“But with no game this year, we looked at how could we take that next big step with it.”
The All-Stars clash features the best players across the Cairns AFL competition, along with premiership coaches on opposite sides.
The women’s clash will kick things off at 6.15pm on Friday, which will have the pre-game Welcome to Country. The men’s game kicks off at 7.45pm, which will also feature a smoking ceremony before bounce down.
Coaches selected 25 players from the named squads with the league giving them every chance to have a look at all players across the first six rounds.
“It is free entry, so we encourage everyone to come down and watch the best of the best line up against each other,” Carbis said.
“It is exciting for us to be able to put on a rep game and have players get the opportunity to represent their clubs but also their culture as well.
“The build up has been great, but also just little things on the night as well is what we are excited about.
“We are streaming the game from the camera and putting it up on the big screen as well, which will be a new feature for us.”
Cameron Campbell is head coach of the men’s All-Stars team and will come up against Chris Baksh, the ISP men’s coach.
Marcus Macdonald-Camden will coach the women’s All-Star team, up against Luana Healey and Jason Wray for the ISP team.