The 2013 AFL Darling Downs season kicked off in superb style on Friday night with the Brisbane Lions in attendance at the largest function the region has seen in a number of years.
The gala function doubled as an opportunity for over 250 members of the 13 affiliate clubs as well as the public to rub shoulders with their Lions heroes, whilst also gaining an insight into the local competition.
Each table of guests were able to mingle with the Lions seated at their table throughout the night as each club was introduced and quizzed on the upcoming season.
Although no-one from the Chinchilla SUNS were able to be in attendance, the night kicked off with an insight into what has been required to get the club off the ground, before Coolaroo A-Grade coach Nick Barker provided an insight into the perennial flag contenders.
Guests, including the Mayor of Toowoomba Paul Antonio and his wife Judy, were treated to an interview with Lions 3-Peat legends Jonathan Brown, Ash McGrath & Michael Voss as well as numerous other players throughout the evening.
New league President Andrew Foley provided everyone an insight into what it means to have the Lions in the region, as well as some of the intricacies of what the 2013 season is trying to provide. The introduction of the Women’s competition was well received by the Lions coaching staff and the expansion of the Reserves competition which returned in 2012 was also one of the key positives drawn from the evening.
Other highlights included South Toowoomba President Shaun Reardon being grilled by Matt Maguire & Jared Polec, Tom Rockliff defeating Christopher Davis in an ‘Ultimate Disc’ Rockliff Challenge and Dayne Zorko attempting to fit in with Matthew Leuenberger & Highfields Lions President Chris Sheath by jumping onto the elevated stage.
“The night was a great way of increasing the reach of our local competition by adding the drawcard of the Lions to the event”, said AFLQ Regional Manager Keith Webb.
“It also provided a great way to promote the growth of the game on the Downs over the past few years, since the Lions last visited in 2011”, beamed Webb.
The night wrapped up with the official release of the AFL Darling Downs 2013 fixture, which will kick off on Saturday April 6th with approximately 36 matches across 6 different venues, including the first ever Australian Football match in Chinchilla.
To find the whole 2013 AFL Darling Downs draw, head to the Fixtures/Results page over the coming days or to sign on to your local club for 2013, head to the Clubs page for all the details.
This story is the first in a series detailing the Lions visit to Toowoomba and the Darling Downs for their 2013 Australia Post AFL Community Camp.
Last Modified on 13/03/2013 12:43
