I HAVE to admit, I was apprehensive when told I would accompany a small group of Lions to Palm Island.
After all, not only do you have to fly in a glorified glider to get there, but the Island doesn't have the best reputation and has frequently been publicised for the wrong reasons in recent times.
My concerns were somewhat allayed when the tiny plane left Townsville's runway, (minus Jared Brennan, whose bulk would have pushed us over our weight limit), and launched into a smooth run over the turquoise waters.
The scenery was amazing. Picturesque islands dotted the ocean. Magnetic Island stood stunning to the right. Our destination loomed imposing and beautiful ahead.
As the miniature plane touched down, we got our first good look at Palm Island. While the airport might not have been much to write home about, the lush green surroundings and pristine waters made the view rather pleasant.
After retrieving Jared from the second plane, we set off for St Michael's School, about a 10-minute drive from the airstrip.
Already the humidity was taking its toll, as our small group fell upon the esky carrying our cold drinks as soon as we arrived at the school. We were ushered into the staff room (air conditioned – bliss!) before I set off with Jason Roe and Craig Lambert to meet some of the students.
Around 50 children were in attendance on the balmy Friday, and as the afternoon was getting on when we arrived, their attention was hard to hold. Lambert and Roe tried valiantly to get the kids, aged from grade prep to seven, to interact, but it wasn't until they took to the football field that the real enthusiasm shone through.
The athletic ability of some indigenous children needs to be seen to be believed. They bounce off the ground, do incredible things with a football, and fearlessly throw themselves into the air to perform endless acrobatic acts.
They love sport. The kids were delighted to be put through their paces, and boys and girls alike could not get enough of the basic handball and kicking lessons that had the two Lions drenched in tropical sweat.
The kids also love to have their photo taken. Shyness is not a common trait here, and they'll just as quickly run over and try to entice you in a bit of kick-to-kick as they'll happily pose for picture after picture.
We reluctantly left after an hour, with the images of the kids' grinning faces and jaw-dropping antics burned into our memories.
On the walk back to meet the others, we passed a group of kids taking their new footy – a gift from the Lions – for a swim in the local creek. The ball games continued as they leapt from tree branches and flew through the water. One dangled from the trunk before throwing himself into the shallow stream from a considerable height.
From there, it was off to the jetty for a spot of fishing. Once it became apparent the boys were out of luck as far as potential seafood was concerned, it became a contest to see who would brave the four-metre drop into the ocean.
Roe was first, after some ribbing from his teammates, and Anthony Corrie closely followed before Brennan was eventually coaxed in. While the trio leapt from the jetty several times, they were quick out of the water on each occasion owing to warnings about stingers.
We flew back to Magnetic Island on a 30-seat plane, along with a large proportion of Townsville residents who cross to the Island daily for work. Being a Friday afternoon, the airstrip was teeming with people.
The official 'Feast with the Lions' function rounded out the club's time in Townsville, with the evening was a good chance for the players to relax with the locals in a casual environment.
Players interviewed players on stage, Leigh Matthews and Townsville Crocodiles coach Trevor Gleeson interviewed each other, and my raffle ticket didn't win.
It was a terrific and fun way for the camp to end, both for players and the public – even if Jonathan Brown's answer to Luke Power's question of, "Which teammate would you turn gay for?" resulted in an uncontroversial and gruff, "No one".
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February 8, 2008
THE LIONS probably didn't expect their Townsville trip to include construction work, but that's exactly what happened for three of them on Thursday morning.
Jonathan Brown, James Polkinghorne and Nigel Lappin trekked outside the city to visit St Anthony's
After speaking to the students about the benefits of healthy living, the trio took to the oval to erect the last behind post on what would become the Barras' home turf.
After Lappin took on a 10-year-old in an arm wrestle and Polkinghorne learned just what it means to be a sought-after role model, the players combined to help haul into place the Barras' final post.
As the steam rose from the ground and the day became typically humid, we piled back into our air-conditioned car and headed for
Here, we would meet Anthony Corrie, Ash McGrath and Jared Brennan, who were on hand to share their respective stories with the indigenous students of the college.
The message here was different. It was more concerned with believing in yourself and taking risks away from your comfort zone, which is something both Corrie and McGrath were faced with before they became footballers.
As a bunch of smiling kids posed endlessly for photos with the footballers, we left them to it as we began the trip back to Townsville.
After some down time, some email checking by the players, and some ridiculing of the elevator-loving Daniel Bradshaw, the group once again boarded the bus en masse to travel back out to Riverway Stadium.
The training session was fairly arduous, given that the players missed out on their Tuesday night intra-club match. The conditions were more than balmy, as an inky sky provided the perfect tropical backdrop for a Townsville training session.
It was steamy, to put it mildly.
Irishmen Colm Begley and Pearce Hanley didn't know what hit them, especially the latter, who arrived in
"This is crazy. For me, when I first came to
"Your body does it get used to it after you drink lots of water and get over feeling lethargic, but this is just another level from Brisbane.
"It's a nice place, and it's different. But, I weigh 85kg and I went down to 83kg during training, and I didn't even do all the training. I swam for the start, and I lost weight even swimming. I sweated in the water."
After the players finished gawking at the enormous swimming pool and reboarded the bus, it was time to return to the hotel.
With a scheduled "poker night" coming up, the Lions retreated to their rooms to prepare themselves for an evening of potential prosperity.
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February 7, 2008
TOWNSVILLE certainly turned on the weather for the arrival of the Brisbane Lions on Wednesday.
They stepped off the bus into 30-plus degree heat, plus the added bonus of intense humidity that only became more intense until predicted rain later in the evening.
Put short, it was like they were arriving for a three-day recovery session in a steam room.
For its first stop, the players' bus pulled up at the Townsville City Council administration building for the official welcome from the deputy mayor, Cr. Jenny Hill.
As soon as they left the air conditioned comfort of their coach, like me, they headed straight for the air conditioned comfort of the reception room.
They were officially welcomed to the town and the deputy mayor and Leigh Matthews exchanged gifts to commemorate the Lions appearing in Townsville for the first-ever local community camp.
Jonathan Brown and Matthews met some standard media commitments – Brown happy to do his twice after a radio station arrived late – while the rest of the players attacked a fruit platter and numerous glasses of water inside.
From there, it was off to the hotel for massages and general relaxation. The 10 players scheduled to make an appearance at the community forum that night could also use the time to prepare themselves for random questions from the public.
As the bus pulled up at the Tony Ireland Riverway Stadium on Wednesday night to deliver the players and coaches to the forum, young players and grass roots coaches assembled upstairs in anticipation.
The ominous Townsville sky promised a light show later on, but the rain held off – for now.
Overlooking the lush stadium surface, the players and their coaching panel were put to the test by club and football fans alike.
Some questions were tough. Matthews was asked if he has to coach his coaching panel (sometimes), while the playing group was asked about motivation and Nathan Ablett (it's different for everyone).
Brown was asked if he has any desire to follow Chris Judd's lead and return home to Victoria. (He doesn't, by the way. Yet.)
There were some funny ones too. Brown was also asked how far he could kick a ball when he was 10-years-old, by a doting father who's own son is currently managing 26 metres. Brown's response?
"I don't know how far I could kick it back then. It was usually just if I could get it from the hedge to the door of the dairy."
There was still no rain in sight, but some brief flashes of lightning were seen over the hills.
Toughest opponents got a mention, with the names Darren Glass, Gavin Wanganeen (twice), Dean Cox, Nathan Buckley, Michael O'Loughlin, Robert Harvey (twice), Andrew Embley, Matthew Primus and Guy McKenna all rating comment.
The coaching staff offered advice on their specialties. Adrian Fletcher said the key to midfield success is rotations, while Justin Leppitsch claimed "keeping things simple" in defence is the way to go.
After a few autographs, photos, and chats with their heroes, the crowd dispersed and the players made their way back to the bus.
As we drove back to south Townsville with the tropical lightning now illuminating the landscape, the players discussed a potential problem that could evolve once the hotel was reached.
"Where are we going to get a bite to eat?"
As they set off in search of food and I made my way back to my own accommodation, I counted myself lucky the forum didn't run over time.
Not 10 minutes after I walked in the door, the rain came down. Townsville style.
