AFL Cairns
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The Australian Football League Cairns is a semi-professional Australian rules football league that includes clubs from the Cairns region in Queensland, Australia. It is widely regarded as the strongest regional Australian rules football league in Queensland and has a large base at Cazaly's Stadium which has staged pre-season Australian Football League matches.
The league has significant coverage in local media such as The Cairns Post. Each year the Grand Final attracts between 2,000-3,000 spectators.
The league has produced many notable players at VFL/AFL level, including Colin Judd (Hawthorn), Craig Brittain (Kangaroos), Troy Clarke, (Brisbane Bears), Mark West (Western Bulldogs), Che Cockatoo-Collins, Donald Cockatoo-Collins, David Cockatoo-Collins, Jason Roe, Courtenay Dempsey and Jarrod Harbrow.
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[edit] History
The league formed in 1957 and a local schoolboy competition was also formed resulting in a remarkable junior representative trip to Townsville by plane. In 1957 the ANFC through Bruce Andrew purchased land in Cairns for the first dedicated field in regional Queensland which was to become Cazaly's Stadium. The initial Senior competition had only two teams Norths and Souths but by a ruse in publicity it was made to seem more impressive by systematically adding in non existent teams Easts and Wests. At one stage the speed of growth concerned a Rugby League journalist wrote that to allow it to continue was akin to allowing "a Taipan in our Midst." Around 2000, the league affiliated with the Australian Football League and was rebranded to become the AFL Cairns.
The league has grown rapidly in recent years with the ongoing development of Cazaly's Stadium, success of the Queensland based Brisbane Lions and with Cairns hosting exhibition Australian Football League matches.
The league introduced a Women's Footy competition in 2005.[1]
A wild and violent brawl erupted in the 2004 Grand Final between North Cairns and Port Douglas which caused publicity around Australia, sparking the biggest investigation in the history of Australian Rules Football.[2] 22 players involved received a total ban of 400 matches and instigator, former VFL player Jason Love was banned from playing for 8 years.[3]
[edit] Clubs
[edit] Current
| Club | Colours | Years in competition | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cairns City Cobras | Navy Blue, White | Previously known as City United | |
| Cairns Saints |  |
1993- | |
| Centrals-Trinity Beach | Red, blue and white | 1963- (merger of Centrals and Aloomba, known until 1988 as Centrals-Aloomba) | |
| South Cairns Cutters |  |
||
| Port Douglas Crocs | Dark blue and white | 1989- | |
| North Cairns Tigers | Black and yellow | ||
| Manunda Hawks | Brown, Yellow |
[edit] Former
| Club | Colours | Years in competition |
|---|---|---|
| Aloomba-Gordonvale | 1956-1962 (merged with Centrals to form Centrals-Aloomba) | |
| Babinda | Black, White Magpies | c.1960-c.1980s |
| Balaclava |  |
c.1950s |
| Centrals | 1959-1962 (merged with Aloomba to form Centrals-Aloomba) | |
| Innisfail | Red, White Roos | Early 1980s |
| Mareeba | |
Early 1980s |
| Souths Balaclava |  |
c.1960s-c.1980s |
| Tinaroo Dambusters | Dark Blue, White, Light Blue | c.1950s |
[edit] Junior
- Centrals Trinity Beach
- South Cairns Cutters
- Port Douglas Crocs
- North Cairns Tigers
- Manunda Hawks
- Pyramid Power
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Women pull on the jersey from ABC North Queensland
- ^ PM - AFL yet to decide fate of brawling players
- ^ Eight-year ban for ex-Swan - AFL - www.smh.com.au
[edit] External links
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