RICHARD COOMBS | SURATBASION.COM.AU | MONDAY 18 FEBRUARY
THE Aussie rules season may still be weeks away, but Dalby was swept up in the atmosphere on Friday as six members of the Brisbane Lions stopped in for a visit.
James Polkinghorne, Richard Newell, Ryan Harwood, Sam Michael, Mitch Golby and Niall McKeever made the trip to promote the game and get kids involved.
But it wasn't just on-field skills the players were promoting.
The players were out to promote their Lion Hearted Leaders Program at Our Lady of the Southern Cross.
The program is an initiative created by the club to increase their presence in schools and James Polkinghorne said it was something the club took great pride in.
"It's a way we relate back to the kids," James said.
"It's all about leadership in the classroom. At training we're taught to get someone else a drink before ourselves. It's about relating those things to them."
The Lions then took their visit onto the field and ran the students through a number of basic drills, teaching them the fundamentals of Aussie rules.
OLSCC sports co-ordinator Tim Lincoln said it was great for the kids to have the players come to Dalby.
"If they don't go to a game in Brisbane they won't get to see these guys," Tim said.
The guys then went to participate in the first Auskick session of the year and help with the Dalby Swans sign-on.
Polkinghorne said he definitely noticed an interest in the sport despite other football codes dominating the landscape in Dalby.
"We've got to make sure they're having fun. It brings me back to when I was little," James said.
"(Aussie rules) has a lot of different skills sets."
This year, Auskick organisers are expecting more than the 80 keen participants to sign up.
Last Modified on 13/03/2013 12:44
