CANNONS FIRING AHEAD OF TITLES
AT a touch over 190cm and still growing, Kirwan High’s Wil Hope is almost the prototype ruckman.
But the 15-year-old has had to learn the job on the fly this year after spending his formative years in rugby league.
Before this season, Hope hadn’t even given Aussie rules a second thought.
But a push from his parents to try more sports at school has grown a newfound love of the Sherrin.
“I think I was part of that league mindset where AFL was bad but now I have given it a shot, I really enjoyed it,” Hope said.
“My parents wanted me to try every sport this year, so I thought I would give it a crack.
“I normally play rugby league. I definitely think there are similarities (between the codes) and I have actually seen improvement in my footy because I have been playing AFL.”
Hope’s league background is another reason why he
was drawn to the ruck contest. “I really enjoy that physical battle,” he said. “My height is the main reason I play as a ruckman, just to get the ball but also add a little bit of mongrel in there.”
Hope will be a crucial cog in the Kirwan Cannons arsenal as they contest the junior boys section of the AFL NQ Schools Cup.
The competition at Murray Sporting Complex will welcome the best school footy talents from across the four regions of northern Queensland.
Kirwan High will represent Townsville in the junior boys while Ignatius Park College had earned the right to represent the region in the open boys but had to pull out of the tournament finals due to scheduling conflicts.
St Augustine’s College will represent Cairns region in both junior and senior boys, St Brendan’s College will represent the Rockhampton region in both divisions while Mercy College will represent Mackay in the junior boys.
All games will be live streamed at our website.