Boisterous, intelligent and emotional fans watched an epic 1st Grade Grand Final on the weekend in Canberra.
The Queanbeyan Tigers lost 42-players when the club backed out of the NEAFL at the end of 2014. Playing Coach Kade Klemke sent out the SOS, hoping specifically for the attention of the competition’s top goal scorer. 40-year-old Mark Armstrong agreed to come out of retirement after 5-years. He played seven games throughout the season. In the eighth – the Grand Final on Saturday – he kicked four goals to help hand Belconnen Magpies their first loss of the season.
Several weeks ago Mark’s sister died of a heart attack, after a prolonged illness. Coach Kade spoke after he accepted the Best on Ground award, of the effort the side has put in for each other, for the club and for the good of the community.
A wonderful moment for the club. Here’s how it unfolded in photos:
Well done to the Queanbeyan Tigers on their against-the-odds victory over Belconnen, Keiran. I had the pleasure of meeting Mark Armstrong when he was a student in a statistics unit I taught at the University of Canberra 20 years ago. Commiserations to Mark on the tragic loss of his sister, but I’m sure she’ll be looking down from above and will be very happy with the Tigers’ premiership. I had the pleasure of meeting Ron “Chook” Fowlie and Wally Gisik during my involvement with the ACTAFL in the 1990s and am sure they’ll be celebrating with great gusto (that exuberant character, Great Gusto, invariably pops up whenever a footy team wins a flag!).
Yes, this is another triumph for Chook Fowlie – what a legend.
Shame for Belconnen coach Jeremy Rowe…