Fifty of the states best Masters players take to Yeronga this Friday night for the North Queensland vs. South East Queensland game.
The two teams will play an exhibition game to showcase what Master’s footy is all about.
“At the end of the day it’s an exhibition match for Masters footy, so we want to show people that no matter how old you are, the opportunity is there to play footy,” Queensland Master President, Steve Burchill said.
“We want to put on an exhibition for the people there to see that older guys who love their Australian rules can still play footy at a reasonable level.”
The North Queensland team was picked following their country championships early in May, while South East Queensland’s team is made up of players available for selection for the National Championships later this year.
“We put it across the age divisions, it’s not just an over 45’s game, there is over 50’s, over 55’s, over 60‘s playing,” Burchill said.
The game itself should be a cracker, there is some serious talent floating around both sides.
“I think that the standard will be really good, the ball should zip around,” he said.
The skills will be up, and the intensity will be high, and the crowd should help them find another gear, especially if it’s tight late in the game.
There is a bit on the line personally as well, with the players all vying for selection in the Queensland team that will play in the National Masters Carnival in October on the Gold Coast.
Both team have fielded very strong sides, and while the Southerners will start favorites, the North Queensland team is more than capable of causing a boil over.
While the result of the game is unknown, one thing is for sure, they are all excited for the game, and the event.
“We are really appreciative of the opportunity, and we certainly intend to support the night, everyone involved is really pumped for this,” Burchill said.
The game gets underway at 5:10pm.
By Andrew Wiles
Follow @andrewjwiles