Expansion Far North Movement: Is Cairns a hotbed of footy talent?

[GC2015]

I've seen a few people suggest/question this recently and thought it might be interesting to investigate. Cairns currently has a population of 150k which makes it the 15th most populated city in Australia. Our code of football was first played in Cairns back in 1885 when representative teams from Cairns and Townsville played off against one another. In the 1950s the Australian National Football Council (the predecessor to today's AFL Commission) made a fantastic decision to purchase land which would be used to create what is now known as Cazaly's Stadium and establish the Cairns Australian Football League competition. Since then, the city has done a good job of solidifying a strong local league.

As was the case in most regional parts of Australia, Cairns really began producing AFL players in the 90s with guys like Troy Clarke and the Cockatoo-Collins brothers coming to the fore, with Che Cockatoo-Collins being the most prominent of the three brothers. We saw another little burst of Cairns talent in the mid to late 2000s with players like Courtenay Dempsey, Jarrod Harbrow and Jason Roe making it to the big time. However, it's really been the last decade that has put Cairns on the map for Aussie rules talent which coincides with the creation of the Suns' academy system which has allowed for proper nurturing of Cairns juniors.

Current All-Australian centre half-forward Charlie Dixon is the most prominent Cairns native in the league today and Jack Bowes made history in 2016 when he came the first player from Cairns to be selected with a top 10 pick in the draft. We've seen a further three Cairns players drafted since 2017 in Jacob Heron, Caleb Graham and Alex Davies, the latter of which was considered a top 10 draft pick this year under normal circumstances. And it doesn't stop there! Current NAB AFL Academy member Austin Harris is coming through in the 2021 draft class and he was selected in the U16 All-Australian team last year as well as taking out Queensland's MVP award. So it's entirely possible Cairns will be able to lay claim to three top 10 picks in the last six years in 12 months time from now. Special mention goes out to prodigious Cairns talent Tamuri Wigness who almost chose footy over basketball and would have been drafted this year had he pursued our game further.

So, is Cairns a hotbed of footy talent or is the city just having a good run lately? Just keep in mind, most people still consider Cairns to be a rugby league dominated city.

 

[sprockets]

I've seen a few people suggest/question this recently ...

Yeah?

 

[rumply]

Lived there for a while & the local league was a very good standard so no surprise there's been plenty of talent coming through.

So, is Cairns a hotbed of footy talent or is the city just having a good run lately? Just keep in mind, most people still consider Cairns to be a rugby league dominated city.

Not so sure about that, aussies rules is very popular up there (much the same as it is in Darwin, for example) & while rugby league is as well, I wouldn't say it dominates.

 

[GC2015]

Yeah?

Yes. Here are some recent quotes.

Is Cairns really the hotbead for Australia Football that I keep hearing?

Cairns does have a great local AFL league that gets plenty of column inches in the Cairns Post as does the afl more widely. There’s a lot of Victorians up here working in tourism, so lots of interest and always someone willing to have a chat about the footy. While league is still the number one sport by a comfortable margin, AFL isn’t derided like it is in some other parts of QLD / NSW. Will be interesting to see how the handful of games go next month.

In rural Qld., AF is very weak. In regional Qld., it has a small presence- except for the Cairns district, where it is strong.

In pockets, AFL is doing very well, mostly in SE QLD and Cairns.

The Gold Coast, along with Cairns, is probably were aussie rules has its largest following as a percentage. I lived in SEQ for a long time and go back to visit often and in all honesty I would aussie rules and rugby league are just about neck and neck on the gold Coast.

 

[GC2015]

Lived there for a while & the local league was a very good standard so no surprise there's been plenty of talent coming through.

What I find really interesting is that we've seen a lot more Cairns talent make it to the big time in the last five years and I think that has a lot to do with the Suns' academy being established eight years ago. We're not just talking about fringe players either. Jack Bowes

12

Jack Bowes

Age

26

Ht

189cm

Wt

85kg

Pos.

D/M

Career

Season

Last 5

D

16.3

4star

K

9.7

4star

HB

6.6

4star

M

3.9

4star

T

2.5

4star

MG

318.1

4star

D

18.0

4star

K

11.8

5star

HB

6.3

4star

M

5.4

5star

T

1.1

2star

MG

318.1

4star

D

11.6

3star

K

6.4

3star

HB

5.2

4star

M

2.8

3star

T

2.4

4star

and Alex Davies were legitimate top 10 talents in their draft years. So that probably suggests the footy talent has always been there, it just needed to be developed and nurtured correctly. You wonder how many great players we've likely lost as a result of this recent discovery...

Not so sure about that, aussies rules is very popular up there (much the same as it is in Darwin, for example) & while rugby league is as well, I wouldn't say it dominates.

I've never lived in Cairns so I can't comment on the local sporting preferences but I think most just assume Cairns is dominated by rugby league because it happens to be inside Queensland. Obviously that's not necessarily the case but I imagine it would be fairly similar to the situation on the Gold Coast where Aussie rules has about a 40% split in the market but rugby league is still slightly ahead. Correct me if I'm wrong, though.

 

[gangsta deluxe]

 

[La Dispute]

It’s a hotbed of neurosis and psychosis

 

[Freomaniac]

It’s a hotbed of neurosis and psychosis

now thats harsh

 

[00Stinger]

so what are the AFL particpant rates v rugby particpant rates up in Cairns?

Which is the more popular of the two codes?

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Go crocs

 

[master bate]

It has a number of factors:

1. Expat Victorians - Port Douglas seems like a suburb of Melbourne in the winter months. There must be some who decide to make the move permanently.

2. Indigenous population - obviously they play rugby league as well but there's history of a strong footy community

3. Weather - mid 20's and low rain in the dry season are good conditions for footy

4. Not strictly a rugby league town - a long way from Brisbane and Sydney and with a natural rivalry with Townsville who have the Cowboys, it's easier to shift some hearts and minds.

 

[GC2015]

so what are the AFL particpant rates v rugby particpant rates up in Cairns?

Which is the more popular of the two codes?

According to the AFL Queensland Facilities Plan (image above) that was released in September this year, it would appear the current Australian rules football participation in Cairns is approximately 3500. Interestingly, while I was looking for these numbers I also stumbled upon a report which stated Aussie rules participation rates in Cairns grew by 45% between 2014 and 2019! So perhaps our game has only recently exploded in Cairns?

It doesn't seem to be as easy to find rugby league participation numbers in Cairns but I did find a QRL article that stated the Cairns District Rugby League set a new record for junior (5-17) rugby league participation in 2018 when they hit 2000 participants. Senior participation is always considerably lower than junior participation so I'd say it's safe to assume that rugby league has less than the current 3500 Aussie rules participants in Cairns. AFL Queensland also predicts a further 30% increase in participation over the next 5 years in Cairns.

So even though Aussie rules most likely has more participants than rugby league in Cairns right now, it would appear that wasn't the case about 5-7 years ago. So what has caused this? It can't purely be attributed to natural growth because Cairns has only grown by 6% in the last 7 years (145k to 155k). I'd guess the AFL, AFL Queensland and the Gold Coast Suns have put in a lot of effort at the grassroots level over the last decade and we're now seeing the dividends of those efforts. A clear nurturing program and developmental pathway (the Suns Academy) into the professional league now exists for junior sports athletes in Cairns and I think that is one of the biggest factors in this recent movement towards our game. I'd guess the majority of football juniors in Cairns play at least one other sport and our game tends to win out as they reach their teenage years as the possibility of joining the Suns academy/being drafted becomes more real.

Indigenous population - obviously they play rugby league as well but there's history of a strong footy community

10% of the population to be exact. This is considerably higher than most cities inside the top 20 most populated cities of Australia. Darwin (8.7%) and Townsville (7.9%) are the only other top 20 cities with an indigenous population percentage higher than 5%. Although we've seen a decrease in the indigenous players being drafted out of Cairns lately. In the past we had Cockatoo-Collins, Dempsey, Harbrow etc and now we're seeing non-Indigenous players like Dixon, Bowes, Davies and Harris being drafted from Cairns. Although a 45% increase in overall participation might just mean there's more competition for spots in the Suns Academy and that's reflected in which demographics are getting drafted these days.

Not strictly a rugby league town - a long way from Brisbane and Sydney and with a natural rivalry with Townsville who have the Cowboys, it's easier to shift some hearts and minds.

This is probably the biggest factor. I think you'd find the same in the Riverina region of New South Wales.

 

[Metalcrusher]

Thoughts Arr0w ?? This look right up your alley mate.

 

[Arr0w]

Some amazing junior talent in Cairns

AFL Cairns do a power of work, but unlike major cities where there are a number of outlets due to a large population, the competition in Cairns/FNQ is limited

If the AFL, introduced an under 18's side from FNQ to compete within the national system, more kids would embrace the concept/career path

 

[Herne Hill Hammer]

Lived there for a while & the local league was a very good standard so no surprise there's been plenty of talent coming through.



Not so sure about that, aussies rules is very popular up there (much the same as it is in Darwin, for example) & while rugby league is as well, I wouldn't say it dominates.

Same as you, I lived there for a while, back in the 90s, for me and it was a pretty reasonable league with a lot of ex-pat Victorians playing up there. The money was meant to be good, they'd get people jobs and there are big pokies dens there. Wayne Henwood, the ex-Swan was coaching up there at the time. I looked at having a run with the South Cairns Cane Cutters, I actually knew a bloke there that I played with in the WA, Goldfields, but it was just too bloody hot for my liking.

 

[GC2015]

Same as you, I lived there for a while, back in the 90s, for me and it was a pretty reasonable league with a lot of ex-pat Victorians playing up there. The money was meant to be good, they'd get people jobs and there are big pokies dens there. Wayne Henwood, the ex-Swan was coaching up there at the time. I looked at having a run with the South Cairns Cane Cutters, I actually knew a bloke there that I played with in the WA, Goldfields, but it was just too bloody hot for my liking.

How would the standard of footy in the local Cairns league compare to other regional WA and Vic leagues you've played in? Do you believe there's a lot of junior talent up there?

 

[jezzajay]

Live up here and can tell you AFL is stronger than NRL from the juniors up. Much better system than the NRL...rarely hear of kids I know having a crack at NRL...more so AFL thanks to the Auskick program. Most parents just don't like the idea of their kids being involved with tackling.
Coached my boy in under 9's for Manunda Hawks and the support was first class.
Two (one female and one male) AFL Cape York houses set up which helps on the indigenous side of things.
I worked for the largest NRL local club for some time and they constantly whinged and moaned about what the AFL has and does locally.
It just appears the money is there for AFL...cant say the same for NRL as they are constantly scratching around for funding.
NRL are getting it wrong by ignoring playing games here more often. They say the Cowboys are a Cairns team also (based in Townsville) but were are the games!? Ridiculous stance on the NRL's behalf as there are people here crying out for games. Plenty travel to Townsville to see games mind you.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Same as you, I lived there for a while, back in the 90s, for me and it was a pretty reasonable league with a lot of ex-pat Victorians playing up there. The money was meant to be good, they'd get people jobs and there are big pokies dens there. Wayne Henwood, the ex-Swan was coaching up there at the time. I looked at having a run with the South Cairns Cane Cutters, I actually knew a bloke there that I played with in the WA, Goldfields, but it was just too bloody hot for my liking.

I know a couple of blokes who play in the league. Their actual payments aren’t great, but they get set up with decent jobs and they love the lifestyle.

 

[GC2015]

Live up here and can tell you AFL is stronger than NRL from the juniors up. Much better system than the NRL...rarely hear of kids I know having a crack at NRL...more so AFL thanks to the Auskick program. Most parents just don't like the idea of their kids being involved with tackling.
Coached my boy in under 9's for Manunda Hawks and the support was first class.
Two (one female and one male) AFL Cape York houses set up which helps on the indigenous side of things.
I worked for the largest NRL local club for some time and they constantly whinged and moaned about what the AFL has and does locally.
It just appears the money is there for AFL...cant say the same for NRL as they are constantly scratching around for funding.
NRL are getting it wrong by ignoring playing games here more often. They say the Cowboys are a Cairns team also (based in Townsville) but were are the games!? Ridiculous stance on the NRL's behalf as there are people here crying out for games. Plenty travel to Townsville to see games mind you.

Thanks for the local insight. Very interesting stuff.

The Cairns Post

The Cairns Post

www.cairnspost.com.au

Gold Coast Suns Academy expanding in FNQ

A NEW Suns high-performance squad for their FNQ-based academy is building towards bridging the gap between Cairns and Gold Coast programs.

Suns NQ Academy co-ordinator John Deitz is working with 20 emerging footballers in Cairns born between 2004-2006 in a high-performance group, 16 male and four female, who have been identified through the performances for north Queensland or in Suns carnivals.

The AFL has partnered with Sportsworld to run additional sessions on Saturday mornings where the players get access to gym, pool and recovery facilities.

....

This will likely make a big difference going forward as well. The increased nurturing of Cairns football prospects has made a big difference in the last five years. We know this because we've seen two top 10 picks come from Cairns since 2016 and it seems a third may be coming through next year with Austin Harris.

 

[jezzajay]

Thanks for the local insight. Very interesting stuff.

The Cairns Post

The Cairns Post

www.cairnspost.com.au

Gold Coast Suns Academy expanding in FNQ


This will likely make a big difference going forward as well. The increased nurturing of Cairns football prospects has made a big difference in the last five years. We know this because we've seen two top 10 picks come from Cairns since 2016 and it seems there's a third may be coming through next year with Austin Harris.

All good...happy to answer questions if you have any.
Admittedly I don't watch the local league that closely though.

 

[Toucan Soup]

Would you like to buy a book? We have a chapter of almost 50 pages discussing the history of Cairns football (and every other league throughout Queensland across 1,100 pages).

Check it out at www.q150.net.au/shop

 

[Teimy]

I've seen a few people suggest/question this recently and thought it might be interesting to investigate. Cairns currently has a population of 150k which makes it the 15th most populated city in Australia. Our code of football was first played in Cairns back in 1885 when representative teams from Cairns and Townsville played off against one another. In the 1950s the Australian National Football Council (the predecessor to today's AFL Commission) made a fantastic decision to purchase land which would be used to create what is now known as Cazaly's Stadium and establish the Cairns Australian Football League competition. Since then, the city has done a good job of solidifying a strong local league.

As was the case in most regional parts of Australia, Cairns really began producing AFL players in the 90s with guys like Troy Clarke and the Cockatoo-Collins brothers coming to the fore, with Che Cockatoo-Collins being the most prominent of the three brothers. We saw another little burst of Cairns talent in the mid to late 2000s with players like Courtenay Dempsey, Jarrod Harbrow and Jason Roe making it to the big time. However, it's really been the last decade that has put Cairns on the map for Aussie rules talent which coincides with the creation of the Suns' academy system which has allowed for proper nurturing of Cairns juniors.

Current All-Australian centre half-forward Charlie Dixon is the most prominent Cairns native in the league today and Jack Bowes made history in 2016 when he came the first player from Cairns to be selected with a top 10 pick in the draft. We've seen a further three Cairns players drafted since 2017 in Jacob Heron, Caleb Graham and Alex Davies, the latter of which was considered a top 10 draft pick this year under normal circumstances. And it doesn't stop there! Current NAB AFL Academy member Austin Harris is coming through in the 2021 draft class and he was selected in the U16 All-Australian team last year as well as taking out Queensland's MVP award. So it's entirely possible Cairns will be able to lay claim to three top 10 picks in the last six years in 12 months time from now. Special mention goes out to prodigious Cairns talent Tamuri Wigness who almost chose footy over basketball and would have been drafted this year had he pursued our game further.

So, is Cairns a hotbed of footy talent or is the city just having a good run lately? Just keep in mind, most people still consider Cairns to be a rugby league dominated city.

I grew up in Cairns and played Footy from u9s-u16. Id say about 70 percent of the kids I used to mingle with at parties and other social events all preferred to play Rugby League over AFL. Which makes it alot more interesting to see players of such high quality making it to AFL level and not in the NRL. I actually did play juniors againts one of the players you mentioned in the post and I can confidently say he wasnt the best player I played againts or with, so makes you wonder about how much untapped quality there is. I think alot of it comes down to the fact Cairns has a large emphasis on Sports and all round having a healthy life style. Many kids would go surf life saving, fishing, swimming, running, it was quite surreal by todays standards. Coupled with the fact Cairns is extremely humid for the majority of the year its easy to see why most kids are able to stay in shape there. Now dont get me wrong I never lived in another city until I was 18, so I cant really comment if Cairns is 'different' but I think something about the fact there is bugger all to do in Cairns besides active living really does help.

 

[Roobs321]

I live in the area south of Cairns and I do get the vibe that it is a bit more AFL-friendly, or all-sports friendly, not dissimilar to the Gold Coast in some respects. There is a high proportion of indigenous people up here, especially in the Innisfail area, more than you get in most other east coast areas. Cairns region has a lot of working and retired expats from all over. Wet season happens to be during the offseason mostly (it has been raining almost constantly since mid-late December, including TC Imogen & Kimi in the vicinity). Ingham is the only place between Cairns and Townsville that really even has a cinema, and there isn't much in the way of shopping, very outdoorsy hobbies in the regions (I like birdwatching, bushwalking, etc.). Harder to swim in certain times of year without safety nets because the Irukandji are everywhere, and Crocs are commonly sighted.

Rugby League still has the edge, and the Cowboys are the most visible team (especially south of Cairns the closer you come to Townsville), but it isnt overbearing, you don't see people getting around in Cowboys merch very often like you'd see Broncos in Brisbane. Has a bit of that old anglo Queensland about it in the sugar cane areas, but also ethnic in some areas and a bit alternate-lifestyle friendly. Home-making and fashion isn't quite as rabid, more about maintaining your home in case of disaster or ensuring air circulation and dehumidifying against the mould. Tourist industry has a presence wherever you go, lots of things to check out.