The Tradelink Western Magpies James Rozynski departed for Canberra with the rest of the Country Queensland Senior Team this morning to contest the 2010 Landmark Australian Football Country Championships over the next 4 days. Rozynski is 1 of 7 permitted QAFL country of origin QAFL players making the trip.
The Country Queensland Team will play 3 games on Thursday and 3 games on Friday consisiting of two 17 and a half minute halves of which they will play every team in the competition once. Following the first two days of competition and a rest day on Saturday the top two ranked teams will play off for the Championship in a full game on Sunday. The 3rd and 4th highest ranked teams will play off for third in a full game while 5th, 6th and 7th will play off in a round robin of 20 minute half games to decide their rankings for the 2012 Championships.
JRoz as he is affectionatley know to his Western Magpies teammates first represented Country Queensland as a 13 year old after impressing selectors with his trademark couragous attack on the football representing AFL Darling Downs at the 1999 U/14 Country Championships in Hervey Bay. The U/14 Country Team went on to finish third at the U/14 State Championships that year on the back of 1 training session coached by current Western Magpies CDM Anthony McDonald.
Rozynski was again a key component in the 2010 U/14 Country Championships in his home town of Toowoomba when under McDonald the Country Kookaburras made the final against the Gold Coast Stingrays to suffer a heart breaking loss by 1 point. Rozynski went on to represent the Country Kookaburras at U/16 and U/18 level and is held in high esteem in Country Kookaburra circles as one of the great players to come through the program. This includes names such as Matthew Pardew, Shane Morrison, Brett Backwell, Sam and Josh Brown, Andrew Browning and Mac Penny who set the standards for the next generation of Kookaburras.
If Rozynski and co were the trail blazers the next generation have taken it to a new level establishing the Kookaburra connection at AFL level such as Gavin Urqardt (Nth Melb), Courtney Dempsey (Ess), David Armatage (St Kilda), Jarrod Harbrow (West Bulldogs) and Zac Smith (GCFC Contracted Player). These elite Kookaburra products are underpinned by numerous Country Queensland players on the lists of QAFL clubs especially Redland, Western Magpies and Morningside.
Western Magpies CDM Anthony McDonald said, "JRoz was an absolute pleasure to coach as a junior and I am gratefull to see him in action every week for the Magpies.
He is a Kookaburra great and it is fantastic to see him along with guys like Blake Passfield and Tyson Upton carrying that tradition into the senior team which has not always been the case.
With Jimmy in the team there is no doubt they will do us proud."
Last Modified on 21/07/2010 12:00
