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The entire Mackay football fanbase will be behind the Lions women as they prepare to face Central FC in the Kappa Cup.
Mackay Lions remain one of the final 16, and the last Mackay-based side, in the competition that initially had 128 teams enter the inaugural tournament.
The Lions will face the currently undefeated Central FC in the Central Queensland Premier League this season.
Lions president Ashlee Nolan said the club was excited to represent the Mackay region.
“The girls side has gone undefeated in the local competition for the last four years, so they were all pretty stoked when the statewide tournament was announced,” Nolan said.
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Mackay has lost a giant of community passion and dedication in Chris Auguston who lost his battle against cancer earlier this month.
Mr Auguston, known as Augy, was the face of Mackay Relay for Life in 2020 as he fought a âvery long and brave fightâ against cancer.
His beloved Mackay Lions Soccer Club confirmed the Augyâs death on January 19 as the club rallies to support his family.
âAugy was a much loved and highly respected member of our club for more than 30 years,â a club statement read.
âHis playing career spanned from Juniors through to Colts and then on to the Senior ranks.
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Magpies Crusaders are back training with a skeleton crew ahead of a return to the NPL Queensland on March 6.
With the bulk of his playing roster yet to touch down in Mackay, coach Tom Ballantyne has been working mostly with the local contingent, comprising U23, U21 and U18 players.
Ballantyne himself only returned to Mackay last week after more than a month with family in Adelaide over the Christmas period.
He said it was good to be back in the thick of pre-season preparations.
âWe still have lots to arrive â last week we were minus about half of them I would say,â Ballantyne said.
“Of course it’s taken us a long time to get here, to this point,” Giannangelo said.
“Every year there’s always four or five girls who leave. But we have a core group of about nine or 10 that have been there since day dot (and) we’ve slowly built the team to where we are now.”
“Now” is an undisputed Mackay football juggernaut that has set the benchmark not just for the Women’s Premier League, but every other senior competition as well.
Giannangelo said there was no great secret to his side’s success; just hard work and dedication to each other.
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Incoming Mackay Lions president Ashlee Nolan plans to be as hands-on as possible as the reigning Mackay Regional Football Zone club champions prepare for season 2021.
After six years at the club and as secretary for the past two, Nolan takes the reins from outgoing president Gary Volker following Lionsâ AGM last month.
Volker believes Nolan is the first female club president in Lionsâ history.
The outgoing president leaves big shoes to fill, having lead Lions to four consecutive Mackay Regional Football Zone club championship honours.
But in Nolan, the 2020 MRFZ Volunteer of the Year, the club has a more than capable replacement.