Hi everyone

What a few weeks it has been. I'm really sorry to all those that thought my comments about having our pants pulled down by South Cairns were not right. To those people, you can go and complain to the management which means me!! Haven't seen anyone yet!!

I know I get a bit emotional about our great game and I know how self-righteous we have become in this day and age but I think that if I didn't have the right sort of passion I couldn't do the right sort of job.

In a game last Saturday, that myself and Saints President Macca called "brutal" , we came out with a five goal win. We didn't pull their pants down but we did win! And any win against Saints is a very good win! They are a powerhouse of the competition and always put a competitive team on the paddock! I don't like to sound like a Saints apologist but they do things well as a sporting club. This week they are celebrating the fantastic achievement of ex Saints coach Jimmy Coatsworth riding from the very South of our great land to the tip of Cape York to raise money for Diabetes awareness. Yeah, on a push bike!!!! I'm a big rap for what he's doing as there is a number of my good friends including myself who have diabetes. 

On the footy front, we are now only a month and a bit away from playing finals again. It was great on the weekend to see ex president Andy Smith and Marta back at the footy after a few big weeks at work. Andy was getting really excited watching Kye Chapple go around as he hasn't been to the footy as much as he'd like. To observe Kye off field you'd say that he would resemble an easy going sort of a loveable, hobo but get him on the field and he is just one of the best and most dynamic forwards this club has seen.

Kye currently leads the league goal kicking by some margin. Coops and Heff continue to drive the team mantra and believe me, the " if there are any dissenters, then go else where" type of line is resonating around the club at the moment! 

This week see us up against the Lions. They are a bit flat at the moment but a danger none the less. The big challenge for the footy department is to keep the playing group on a level that will reflect what we'll encounter during the first week of finals. It's a great challenge but we have some pretty experienced heads around the club that have been in this situation a million times.

On the social front, this week is one of the biggest weekends of the year for those ladies who like their sparkling mixed with their liniment. This is Lady's Day! We'll have a bunch of amazing door prizes and the opportunity for two lucky ladies to be involved in the halftime address in the inner sanctum. This opportunity will give the lucky recipients an inside look at the way a professional coach operates and I'm sure it will be an enlightening experience. 

Last Thursday night we had one of our biggest nights of the year so far. Normie and sous chef Robbie turned it on again and managed to feed all the Grey Nomads again. One of most amazing sights this year, apart from Kye's dinky goal in the second quarter last week was the sight of the Grey Nomads washing the dishes after dinner. This time of the year they are an integral part of our club and contribute both financially and culturally. Long may you visit our great club!!! It's also fantastic to see the parents of our boys arriving in town en masse, escaping the southern winter. We have a

great mixture of lads from all over the country who come north looking for a sea change in their footy and it adds so much to our town and football club.

The success of the team is so totally dependant on the way that these young guys fit in. So far, so good!

Yours

Nicho