The Red Lions football club had a busy pre-season preparing for the 2021 season. Both the men's and women's teams appointed new head coaches who worked hard with their coaching teams to develop plans for the upcoming season. Off the field, the club focused on improving governance, reducing costs, renewing sponsorships, relaunching their website, and strengthening community partnerships. They hope to see strong fan support at their first home games in March and April and look forward to keeping supporters updated through social media.

1. Happy 2021 for all in the Red Lions family!
To date it has been a busy pre-season period for all our current Red Lions’ players,
coaches, and volunteers. We ended 2020 with some fantastic senior coach
appointments and some new blood on the committee. Since then both Men’s Head Coach, Tim Mackinley, and
Women’s Head Coach, Ross Clayfield, along with their respective coaching teams and our Director of Football
Peter McClennan, have worked tirelessly to deliver on their promises for the 2021 season. This includes our
Men’s community footballers who are back on deck also under the leadership of Coach Alan “Woody”
Woodward.Off the field we have been working to improve our processes and offerings to help support our
coaches and players on-field success and reinvigorate our social offering after the 2020 pandemic affected
season. This includes:
- continuing to improve our governance structures
- reducing operational costs and in turn player fees,
- re-signing our 2020 major sponsors including key sponsorship from the Royal Exchange Hotel who will appear
on the Division 1 Men’s jerseys for 2021/22 seasons,
- re-launching of the Club website,
- continuing to build our partnership with junior clubs including our great supporters Wests Juniors,
- scheduling our charity day in partnership with Condev Cares along with soon to be released 2021 events,
- improving our partnership with UQ sport,
- extending and consolidating our reach into university colleges, and
- beginning a new formal partnership with the University Health and Rehabilitation Clinic in league with the UQ
Physiotherapy school to help raise the quality of care to players on and off-field in 2021.
We hope to see everyone down at the Pavilion at Oval 2 for our first women’s home game on Saturday March
13th and our first men’s home game currently scheduled for Saturday April 17th. If not on these days then we
look forward to seeing you throughout the year!
Stay in up to date with all Club announcements via the Club pages on Facebook, Instagram or by checking in on
the website!
QAFLW Season Preview - 2
QFA Div 1 Season Preview - 4
Sponsors Announced - 6
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THE VARSITY TIMES
Weekly newsletter of UQAFC
F E B R U A R Y 2 4 | V O L . 1 - 2 0 2 1
PRE-SEASON EXCITEMENT
More in this edition:
POWERSHOTS
HOTOGRAPHY
PRESIDENTS PREVIEW

2. Every team across the QAFLW competition
will be looking forward to round 1 with
confidence, buoyed by a positive pre-season
period and the UQ Red Lionesses are no
exception but there’s a feeling that this has
been a particularly impressive lead-in to the
season proper for all involved in the UQ State
League program Pleasingly, the core members
of each team from the last two seasons have re-
confirmed their commitment to the club and
with some exciting new talent joining the
ranks, expectations are high.
The recruitment drive netted super-talented
small forward Luka Yoshida-Martin who has
impressed the coaching staff with her
composure, skills and commitment. An eye-
catching stint with the Brisbane Lions squad in
January has Luka ear-marked as one to watch.
Madi Crowley-Long moved from Kedron
permanently after playing a handful of high-
quality games for UQ last year. Her experience,
professionalism and team-first mentality have
made her a popular member of the group in a
short space of time. Luci Benjamin, Stephanie
O’Brien, Chanel Dyer and Jacqui Russell
headline the cross-code converts.
All former high-level netballers, the quartet have
made a massive impact on the group already and
their fitness, athleticism and high standards have
been on display.
Kedron premiership captains Sophie Anderson
and Annelise Crilly have also committed to the
Red Lionesses this year and along with long time
teammate, Emily Rogers, provide the squad with
even more quality and experience. All three are
hungry to prove themselves at a higher level
after small stints in the State League last year
prior to the pandemic hitting. An emphasis has
also been placed on investing in the young talent
in our region. In addition to Tassie recruit Sacha
Rival Quinn (Lions Academy) and Kedron juniors
Sofia Harwood Sgorlon, Ella Desrettes, Yvonne
Bwisengo and Irene Baldelli, many younger
players from Wests, Kedron and Jindalee have
been training with the senior squad. Their
enthusiasm has been infectious and their time
around the squad will make their transition to
senior football next year all
the easier.
Training numbers have been incredible all pre-
season but have peaked lately with more than 50
on the track over the past fortnight. These
healthy numbers were also mirrored at the
Sunshine Coast pre-season camp held at the
Apex Camp Centre at Twin Waters. The
weekend camp saw 54 players and 6 coaches
attend. The camp proved to be a massive success
and gave the group the opportunity to finalise
their goals
Practice Match Results
QAFLW Seniors
UQAFC 1.3 9 VS ASPLEY 6.5 41
QAFLW DEV
UQAFC 0.0 0 VS ASPLEY 18.8 116
QAFLW SEASON PREVIEW
WITH SENIOR COACH ROSS CLAYFIELD
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3. for the year and define the cultural standards
that will drive each and every player and most
importantly, the squad as a whole. Much focus
has been placed on creating a positive,
supportive environment driven by the players
themselves. The coaching group has been
blown away by the collective buy-in and
commitment shown to each other. That
commitment was on display in our main
practice games against Aspley. Both UQ
combinations recorded convincing wins and
whilst neither team were getting carried away,
it was pleasing to see much of the structural
work pay dividends early in the season. The
fitness levels of the entire group was also
apparent and has given both teams much to be
confident about.
A spirited and free-flowing intra-club game
(hosted by our friends at Moggill Mustangs)
preceded the season launch on Saturday night.
Both teams are genuinely excited about what is
possible this season and that feeling was evident
at the launch. It was fantastic to see a huge turn-
out from the men’s group. Both programs seem
set to grow closer and closer throughout the year.
The leadership groups for both teams were
confirmed with UQ veteran Megan Hunt taking
the reins of the seniors and club icon Lizzie
Weigh again getting the nod as captain of the
ressies in 2021. The depth of leadership has been
another pleasing take away from the pre-season
period.
The talk is finally over and the season is almost
here and the UQ Red Lionesses are determined
to walk the walk. Hopefully, a huge crew of UQ
supporters will head down to Hickey Park on
Saturday to support our Lionesses when they
take on the Wilston/Grange Gorillas.
QAFLW SEASON PREVIEW
WITH SENIOR COACH ROSS CLAYFIELD
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POWERSHOTS
HOTOGRAPHY
POWERSHOTS
HOTOGRAPHY

4. Our army boys then started come into their own
with Cam Smith (CHF/CHB), Jake Ralston (HB)
and Riley Spinks (Utility) setting a high bar week
in week out on the track, closely followed by
Zack Mitchell (HF).
The retention of last years Senior Coach, Josh
Beattie (HF/MID) was one of the reason I wanted
to take on the challenge this year and he has put
the boys through their paces with great energy
and enthusiasm while focusing on his own fitness
and preparation to have yet another huge season.
We are thankfully littered with some class, with
Damian Ashby (FP) putting in one of his better
preseasons and when you add the two VFL
experienced players in Brock Thompson (MID)
and Michael Randone (CHF/CHB/RUCK), who
are with The Red lions for their first year, the
prospects look high.
We aren’t short of ruck stocks that’s for sure with
the return of Riley Williamson and the bonus
addition of Jake Turner who is all of 6ft 7 at the
age of 20 and from what we have seen in the
preseason will push to win the clubs best and
fairest. (no pressure).
The boys have hit the ground running from
the first session for season 2021.
With a focus on creating an environment that
players and support staff enjoy and wanted to
commit to, I went about seeking feedback from
the leaders to understand where the gaps might
exist. First things first, was to retain the good
people involved with the club and add more to
that group where possible. The likes of Rhys
Tagell (FF) and Charlie Pershouse (CHF/CHB)
were the first phone calls I made, followed by
the club’s best and fairest in 2020, Seamus
Tanna (HB/W) and the collective that live in
the same residence, Dan Watson (MID) and
Liam Walder (FB). The momentum started to
build and in the end the likes of Josh Gale
couldn’t stay away (as much as he is not the
closest of friends with preseason), particularly
after heard that Henry Watson (MID) had been
to almost every session.
Before we knew it we had the West Juniors
herd arrive with some standouts in Tim Carius
(HB), Liam McBrien (HF/MID) , Connell Fox
(HB) and Tom Campbell (FP).
QFA DIV 1 SEASON PREVIEW
WITH SENIOR COACH TIM MACKINLEY
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5. The list of good stock goes on, Skulander (BP),
Lorraine (HB), Sela (W), Wadsworth (W),
Welch (Utility), McLachlan (Utility), McMahon
(FP/MID), David Milne (FP)…..to name a few.
Our preliminary reserves squad have more
potential than I have seen at the club since
2012, with a huge influx of good young players
that could find themselves playing seniors by
mid-year. A big watch on a few first-year
players or new players to the club like big Tom
Anderson, Nick Kennedy, Nick Creighton, Dan
Athanasellis, Alex & Nathan Bennett and Will
Palmer.
My initial concern was always going to be
getting the players to buy in, in the First phase
of the preseason, but in the end that was what
pleasantly surprised me. The group has been
extremely committed, transparent, honest and
hardworking and that has meant we have been
able to tick off the focuses around
conditioning, skills under fatigue, decision
making, basic structures and overall, an
attention to detail in everything that we do.
The energy and enthusiasm has been
contagious and in turn, the numbers at each
session have been almost overwhelming. The
playing group should be proud of their efforts
so far but we continually remind ourselves this
needs to be happening at the same level and
more, come September.
Phase two will see the conditioning ramp up,
ball movement, structures and set up around
the ground and the more technical parts of
how we want to play. The culture and
environment will continue to evolve as we
encourage the players to be the “best teammate
and club member they can be”. The coaches
will start to spend more time one on one with
individual players and by mid-March, the
leadership groups will be appointed and both
the Seniors and Reserves Captains will be voted
on.
We are all excited about the season ahead with
the first challenge being our practice match
against the Ipswich Eagles @ Ipswich, this
weekend.
QFA DIV 1 SEASON PREVIEW
WITH SENIOR COACH TIM MACKINLEY
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6. SPONSORSHIP ANNOUNCEMENTS
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KEY SPONSOR
MAJOR SPONSORS
COMMUNITY SPONSORS
The official watering hole of the
Red Lions, The Royal Exchange
Hotel has signed on as a Key
Sponsor in 2021 and will appear
on our Men's QFA Div 1
guernsey's for the next two
years!
Balllistic Beer Co has
committed as a Major Sponsor
in 2021, with some exciting
collaborations in the works this
year. Watch this space!
Tactile Systems Australia is
returning to support as a Major
Sponsor in 2021!
New sponsor Bellarine Electrical
has signed as a community
sponsor and official sparky of
UQAFC.