Cairns, Melbourne college teams play for the Goodwill Cup
IT'S A LONG way from the far north of Queensland for a game of footy but for 22 students at Djarragun College in Cairns travelling to Melbourne was worth it, even in the middle of a cold snap.
So thank goodness for the Essendon Footgball Club which donated a set of thermal skins for the boys when they visited Windy Hill.
The students, aged between 13 and 17, were hosted by Overnewton College as part of a cultural exchange tour with a football match at Keilor Reserve in Melbourne's north-west the key component of the visit. The teams were playing for the Goodwill Cup.
Those chosen for the five-day trip to Melbourne were there because they were rewarded for attending school, one of the underlying principles of its football academy.
Initially, the Djarragun team were all at sea against their experienced opponents, who were playing to a specific gameplan, and were trailing by nine goals at half-time in their game.
Djarragun managed to salvage something from the second half, if not on the scoreboard then at least with a few cameos.
The talented Keiren Johnson, who won the Michael Long Medal for the Flying Boomerangs' tour to South Africa earlier this year, set the small crowd buzzing with some scorching runs through the middle, and the exuberant Alex Namai set tongues wagging with his unique and unconventional style in defence. Others to shine were Sterling Ludwick and captain Alton Mathew.
The schools hope this partnership can continue on in the future.
Words and picture by:
PETER ELIADIS
Eliadis@hotmail.com
Friday, August 15, 2008
Last Modified on 11/09/2008 08:25