The initial North Queensland squad to take on South Queensland, in this year’s representative match has been named today.
The game will be played as a curtain raiser to the round 18 Western Bulldogs vs. Gold Coast SUNS AFL clash in Cairns, at Cazaly’s Stadium on July 22.
North Queensland have named 57 players in the initial North Queensland squad, which includes players from AFL Cairns, AFL Capricornia, AFL Mackay and AFL Townsville.
“Overall, we are very happy with the depth and versatility of the squad. I’m really excited to be bringing this team together,” said North Queensland coach Brad Cooper.
“It’s a huge opportunity for Queensland regional players to be able to play the curtain raiser at an AFL Premiership match, at Cazalys Stadium, and that certainly sparks a huge interest from the players vying for selection.
“Representative footy at whatever level is the pinnacle for players and to play alongside the best players from across NQ is a huge honour and a journey I’m really looking forward to undertaking with this team,” Cooper said.
South Queensland has gone with an initial squad of 46 players from QFA Divisions 1 and 2, Northern Rivers, Darling Downs and Wide Bay.
Former Brisbane Lions reserves coach Danny Craven will be coaching the South Queensland side.
Craven, who played for both St Kilda and the Brisbane Bears, is looking forward to getting his players to represent their region with spirit, as opposed to making things too complicated.
“It’s about representing your jumper and representing the bloke that’s alongside you,” said Craven.
“It’s nice to have game plans and try and trick it up a bit and all that sort of stuff, but we just want them to play with effort and spirit on the day.”
North Queensland won on the first two occasions these teams met, though South Queensland claimed victory in 2016, setting the stage for an exciting match come July.
Final teams will be named on Monday July 17.
North Queensland Initial 57-man Squad
| AFL Capricornia | ||
| HAUA, Kane | Boyne Island/Tannum Sands | |
| BROWN, Josh | Gladstone | |
| EILOLA, Stephen | Gladstone | |
| HIGGINS, Timothy | Glenmore | |
| KING, Jake | Yeppoon | |
| WALLIN, Matthew | Yeppoon | |
| AFL Mackay | ||
| EAMES, Dale | Bakers Creek | |
| FORTESCUE, Jack | Mackay | |
| PETERS, Nathan | Mackay | |
| FAZACKERLEY, Lee | Mackay City | |
| HAYES, Des | Mackay City | |
| BELL, Mitchell | Whitsundays | |
| PROUD, Nicholas | Whitsundays | |
| AFL Townsville | ||
| AGITA, Stannis | Hermit Park | |
| DI BETTA, Jason | Hermit Park | |
| LARSON, Leroy | Hermit Park | |
| MACDONALD, Daine | Thuringowa | |
| GRAHAM, Jarryd | University Hawks | |
| HALL, Josh | Northern Beaches | |
| AFL Cairns | ||
| DALEY, Kieran | Cairns Saints | |
| GEORGE, Keenan | Cairns Saints | |
| GREENWOOL, Fitzroy | Cairns Saints | |
| POULTER, Lachlan | Cairns Saints | |
| WELLINGTON, Cade | Cairns Saints | |
| BRIDGE, Rhys | Centrals Trinity Beach | |
| HOLT, Jayden | Centrals Trinity Beach | |
| LEMPA, Ryan | Centrals Trinity Beach | |
| McAULEY, Timothy | Centrals Trinity Beach | |
| McLACHLAN, Max | Centrals Trinity Beach | |
| NICHOLSON, Hugh | Centrals Trinity Beach | |
| PATTERSON, Chris | Centrals Trinity Beach | |
| ROBINS, Aaron | Centrals Trinity Beach | |
| WILLIAMS, Jackson | Centrals Trinity Beach | |
| FLINT, Corey | Manunda Hawks | |
| FRANK, Ezekiel | Manunda Hawks | |
| KARWAN, Joel | Manunda Hawks | |
| MISKIN, Milton | Manunda Hawks | |
| CLOUGH, Thomas | North Cairns | |
| GOROGO, Tyler | North Cairns | |
| NOVY, Chris | North Cairns | |
| BOHM, Mitchell | Port Douglas | |
| BURY, Peter | Port Douglas | |
| CHAPPLE, Kye | Port Douglas | |
| GLASS, Wesley | Port Douglas | |
| HOBBS, Jonathan | Port Douglas | |
| KELLY, Declan | Port Douglas | |
| McCULLOUGH, Ethan | Port Douglas | |
| MEDCRAFT, Mathew | Port Douglas | |
| WEARMOUTH, Dylan | Port Douglas | |
| FLOYD, Danny | Pyramid Power | |
| BOSEN, Dwayne | South Cairns | |
| DIXON, James | South Cairns | |
| ETHERINGTON, Ryan | South Cairns | |
| EWER, Zac | South Cairns | |
| PYKE, Hayden | South Cairns | |
| WARDLE, Jermaine | South Cairns | |
| WELCH, David | South Cairns | |
Brad Cooper (Cairns) – Coach
Peter Seymour (Cairns) – Assistant Coach
Marc Harbrow (Cairns) – Assistant Coach
Jamie Fogg (Townsville) – Assistant Coach
Peter Young (Capricornia) – Assistant Coach
