Both teams involved have links with the Darling Downs – Western Magpies utility James Rozynski still lives in Toowoomba and Morningside 100-gamer Tyson Upton grew up in the area.
The QAFL State League is the highest level underneath the AFL in Queensland, with Morningside and the Western Magpies having supplied a number of players to the elite competition in recent seasons.
Courtney Dempsey (Essendon), David Armitage (St Kilda), Tom Williams (Western Bulldogs) and Gavin Urquhart (North Melbourne) learnt their football at Morningside, while recent Brisbane Lion and Western Bulldog Marty Pask was a Western Magpie.
This is the third QAFL game to be staged in Toowoomba in the last five years.
Morningside played the Redland Bombers at Heritage Oval in June 2007 and won by 64 points, while they also beat the Brisbane Lions Reserves by 51 points at the same venue in 2005.
Upton was one of the best players on the ground in his return ‘home’ in the 2007 game.
The QAFL has a long history, having been formed in 1904.
In the 1980s, Toowoomba, Ipswich and Brisbane had a healthy rivalry in one-off fixtures before the organised competition began just after the turn of the century.
Morningside have been the most powerful club in the QAFL behind Southport over the last 20 years, winning six premierships.
They won 21 games straight from Round 2 of 2009 to Round 3 this season.
The Western Magpies have not won a game this season, but were level with the Brisbane Lions Reserves late in the game last weekend before the Lions’ AFL-experienced players got them over the line.
Both clubs have players fighting for places in the interstate clash between Queensland and Tasmania at the Gold Coast on 12 June.
Morningside coach John Blair is a former South Melbourne, St Kilda and Fitzroy player who has won three premierships in charge of the Panthers.
Jarrod Thorpe is in his second game in charge of the Magpies after previous coach Paul Grentell resigned. Thorpe’s father David played in Richmond’s 1974 premiership side.
There will be a full day of games at Heritage Oval on Saturday:
8.30am – AFLDDJ Junior Games
11.30am – AFLDD Senior Game - University v Highfield
2.00pm – QAFL - Western Magpies v Morningside
Last Modified on 16/07/2010 11:41