A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
Current season, competition or edition: 2023 | |
 | |
| Formerly | Cairns AFL |
|---|---|
| Sport | Australian rules football |
| Founded | 1956 |
| CEO | Craig Lees |
| President | David Williams |
| No. of teams | 10 [1] (7 Senior and Junior, 3 Junior Only) |
| Most recent champion(s) | Cairns City Lions (2022) |
| Most titles | Cairns Saints (13) |
| Promotion to | (none) |
| Relegation to | (none) |
| Official website | aflcairns.com.au |
AFL Cairns is a semi-professional Australian rules football league that includes clubs from the Cairns region in Queensland, Australia. It is widely regarded as the strongest regional Australian rules football league in Queensland and has a large base at Cazalys Stadium which has staged Australian Football League matches.
The league has significant coverage in local media such as The Cairns Post. Each year the Grand Final attracts between 2,500 and 3,500 spectators.
History
An article in the Cairns Post on 3 September 1885 on page 3 titled "Football Match" describes a game of football played at the then cricket grounds,[2] believed to have been in the precinct around Munro Martin Park and the Civic Theatre. This game was between Cairns, led by Jack MacNamara (believed to have been a representative of Victoria at first intercolonial match) and Townsville, led by F Rendall. References are made of "Little Marks" and the final score after 2 hours was Cairns, 1 goal 7 behinds to Townsville, 1 goal 3 behinds. The Cairns umpire was AJ Draper.[2]
The Cairns team was :- Michelle Burke, Leonie Burke, J Swallow, "Little" Draper, Reid, Crawford, Horse, Campbell, Warren, Harrison, McClelland, Oldham, Rev.Nobbs, Grcnsen, J.Loridan, Bulcock, Wood, Ärmstrong, C.Loridan, Johnstone, D. Wall, Middlebrook, Schumhronk, Dent, McCarthy, Hogarth.[2]
T. H. LAKE was the secretary.[2]
The modern league as we now know it formed in 1955[3] as the Cairns Australian Football League and a local schoolboy competition was also formed resulting in a junior representative trip to Townsville by plane. In 1957 the ANFC, through Bruce Andrew, purchased land in Cairns for the first dedicated field in regional Queensland which became Cazalys Stadium. The initial Senior competition had only two teams, Norths and Souths. This has since expanded to seven teams.
Around 2000, the league affiliated with the Australian Football League and was re-branded AFL Cairns. The league has grown rapidly in recent years with the ongoing development of Cazalys Stadium, the success of the Queensland-based Brisbane Lions, and with Cairns hosting exhibition Australian Football League matches and later matches for premiership points.
The league introduced a Women's Footy competition in 2002.[4]
2004 AFL Cairns Grand Final brawl
In the 2004 Grand Final between the North Cairns Tigers and the Port Douglas Crocs, a wild and violent bench-clearing brawl [5][6] erupted after Tigers players charged at the Crocs huddle at the end of the national anthem, and the brawl escalated when spectators and team officials became involved. This caused widespread media publicity around Australia, and sparked the biggest investigation in the history of Australian Rules Football.[citation needed]
The instigator, former VFL/AFL player and Tigers coach Jason Love, was suspended for eight years (three years for a total of eleven charges arising from the melee, including striking three opposition players and abusing and threatening the field umpires when they went to report him, and five years for bringing the game of Australian Rules Football in Queensland into disrepute), and the 22 North Cairns players were suspended for a total of 400 matches, suspensions ranging from 10 matches to five years, for various charges in relation to the brawl. AFL Cairns declared the Grand Final a "no result" and withheld the 2004 premiership.
Manunda Hawks' Omission from the 2015 season
In 2014, the Manunda Hawks forfeited an away game against Port Douglas due to the concern for the safety of a player that was threatened via social media.[7]
The league reacted by suspending the club for the 2015 season.[8]
Clubs
Current
| Club | Colours | Nickname | Home ground | Joined | Premiership/s | Premiership year/s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cairns |  |
Saints | Griffiths Park | 1993 | 13 | 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015 |
| Cairns City |  |
Lions | Holloways Beach Sporting Complex | 1970 | 4 | 1982, 1983, 2021, 2022 |
| Centrals-Trinity Beach |  |
Bulldogs | Crathern Park | 1962 | 12 | 1967, 1969, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1997 |
| Manunda |  |
Hawks | Cazalys Stadium | 1984 | 4 | 1987, 2006, 2007, 2011 |
| North Cairns |  |
Tigers | Watsons Oval | 1956 | 10 | 1958, 1959, 1976. 1977, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988 |
| Port Douglas |  |
Crocs | Port Douglas
Sporting Complex |
1989 | 10 | 1991, 2001, 2005, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, |
| South Cairns |  |
Cutters | Fretwell Park | 1956 | 9 | 1956, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1971, 1972, 2003 |
Former
| Club | Colors | Years competing | Premiership/s | Note/s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aloomba-Gordonvale [note 1] |  |
1957–60 | 1 | |
| Babinda Magpies |  |
1958–71 | 3 | |
| Balaclava [note 2] |  |
1960–62 | 0 | |
| Centrals [note 3] | |
1958–61 | 0 | Merged with Trinity Beach to form Centrals-Trinity Beach |
| Innisfail Roos |  |
1958, 1980, 1982–83 | 0 | |
| Mareeba Saints | |
1980–82 | 0 | |
| Pyramid Power |  |
Reserves only | 0 | |
| Tinaroo Falls/Tolga-Tinaroo [note 4] | |
1957–58 | 1 |
- Notes
Junior clubs
Current
- Centrals Trinity Beach
- South Cairns Cutters
- Port Douglas
- North Cairns Tigers
- Manunda Hawks
- Cape York Eagles
- Cairns Saints
- Cairns City Lions
- Gordonvale Suns
Former
- Tableland Pythons
- Redlynch Lions
- Babinda Magpies
- Pyramid Power
- Cairns City Cobras (Cairns Cities)
- Cassowary Coast Crows
AFL Players
Notable players from the AFL Cairns who went on to play at VFL/AFL level include
- Collin Judd (Hawthorn Hawks)
- Alex Davies (Manunda Hawks) (Gold Coast Suns)
- Austin Harris (Cairns Saints) (Gold Coast Suns)
- Craig Brittain (North Melbourne)
- Troy Clarke (Brisbane Bears)
- Mark West (Western Bulldogs)
- Charlie Dixon (Cairns Saints) (Port Adelaide Power and Gold Coast Suns)
- Rex Liddy (North Cairns) (Gold Coast Suns)
- Che Cockatoo-Collins
- Donald Cockatoo-Collins
- David Cockatoo-Collins
- Jason Roe (Cairns City Cobras) (Brisbane Lions)
- Peter Yagmoor (Cairns City Cobras/Lions) (Collingwood)
- Courtenay Dempsey (Manunda Hawks) (Essendon Bombers)
- Jarrod Harbrow (Manunda Hawks) (Gold Coast Suns)
- Sam Michael (Manunda Hawks) Essendon Bombers)
- Jack Bowes (Cairns Saints) (Gold Coast Suns)
- Jacob Heron (Cairns Saints) (Gold Coast Suns)
Grounds/Venues
- Port Douglas Sporting Complex (Port Douglas Crocs)
- Fretwell Park (South Cairns Cutters)
- Cazalys Stadium (Manunda Hawks)
- Watsons Oval (North Cairns Tigers)
- Crathern Park (Centrals Bulldogs)
- Holloways Beach Sporting Complex (Cairns City Lions)
- Griffiths Park (Cairns Saints)
- Power Park (Pyramid Power)
- Redlynch State College Oval (Junior Training)
- Buchan Street (Eagles)
2009 Ladder
| AFL Cairns | Wins | Byes | Losses | Draws | For | Against | % | Pts | Final | Team | G | B | Pts | Team | G | B | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Cairns | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2363 | 1241 | 190.41% | 68 | 1st Semi | Cairns Saints | 20 | 11 | 131 | Manunda Hawks | 17 | 12 | 114 | |
| Centrals Trinity Beach | 14 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2306 | 1347 | 171.20% | 56 | 2nd Semi | South Cairns | 16 | 15 | 111 | Centrals Trinity Beach | 16 | 10 | 106 | |
| Cairns Saints | 11 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 2152 | 1566 | 137.42% | 44 | Preliminary | Cairns Saints | 20 | 15 | 135 | Centrals Trinity Beach | 11 | 5 | 71 | |
| Manunda Hawks | 10 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1903 | 2093 | 90.92% | 40 | Grand | Cairns Saints | 16 | 8 | 104 | South Cairns | 12 | 9 | 81 | |
| Port Douglas | 4 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 1471 | 2406 | 61.14% | 16 | ||||||||||
| Cairns City Cobras | 4 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 1185 | 2045 | 57.95% | 16 | ||||||||||
| North Cairns | 3 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 1424 | 2106 | 67.62% | 12 |
2010 Ladder
| AFL Cairns | Wins | Byes | Losses | Draws | For | Against | % | Pts | Final | Team | G | B | Pts | Team | G | B | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port Douglas | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2826 | 1155 | 244.68% | 72 | 1st Semi | Centrals Trinity Beach | 13 | 14 | 92 | Manunda Hawks | 9 | 16 | 70 | |
| Cairns Saints | 12 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2131 | 1453 | 146.66% | 48 | 2nd Semi | Cairns Saints | 12 | 12 | 84 | Port Douglas | 10 | 11 | 71 | |
| Manunda Hawks | 10 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1982 | 1838 | 107.83% | 40 | Preliminary | Port Douglas | 16 | 25 | 121 | Centrals Trinity Beach | 4 | 6 | 30 | |
| Centrals Trinity Beach | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1701 | 1899 | 89.57% | 36 | Grand | Cairns Saints | 17 | 16 | 118 | Port Douglas | 12 | 8 | 80 | |
| North Cairns | 7 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 1750 | 1902 | 92.01% | 28 | ||||||||||
| Cairns City Cobras | 6 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 1434 | 1992 | 71.99% | 24 | ||||||||||