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“I have nine years of footy behind me, so I do have a little bit of a fitness base to fall back on, but I’m working into it.”
Brisbane’s undefeated record in 2025 will be tested against Collingwood on Thursday night. But their current ladder-leading exploits have helped create history, with the Gold Coast Suns giving Queensland’s clubs the top two spots for the first time.
In contrast, seven Melbourne-based outfits sit outside finals contention.
Hipwood, a Sunshine Coast product, recalls footy not being “quite relevant” in the rugby league heartland when he was drafted in 2015, but he wells with pride at the growth of the code since then.
The Lions’ AFLW success – featuring in six of eight grand finals – inspired a 133 per cent community participation increase in the women’s space since 2019.
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Last year’s total of 64,000 players (excluding Auskick, AFL Superkick and AFL Nines) was a 17 per cent annual spike in Queensland, and narrowed rugby league’s ascendancy (approximately 70,000 club registrations).
Further success will likely trigger more growth, with Suns forward Ben King believing the club has finally found its identity after 14 years without a finals appearance.
“We’ve had patches over my career where we’ve played some good footy for a couple of games in a row, but it hasn’t felt like this, where the brand and identity of our footy is really strong,” said King, who kicked five goals against the Kangaroos.
“No doubt there will be patches throughout the year where it’s going against us. When you look at it [the Kangaroos win] from a game perspective, we felt there were patches where they had the run of play.
“Our ability to bounce back was really good, and hopefully, when there are those patches throughout the year, we’ll be able to bounce back as well.”
King will celebrate his 100th game against Richmond on Saturday, a delayed milestone after missing the 2022 campaign with a ruptured ACL.
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
“I have nine years of footy behind me, so I do have a little bit of a fitness base to fall back on, but I’m working into it.”
Brisbane’s undefeated record in 2025 will be tested against Collingwood on Thursday night. But their current ladder-leading exploits have helped create history, with the Gold Coast Suns giving Queensland’s clubs the top two spots for the first time.
In contrast, seven Melbourne-based outfits sit outside finals contention.
Hipwood, a Sunshine Coast product, recalls footy not being “quite relevant” in the rugby league heartland when he was drafted in 2015, but he wells with pride at the growth of the code since then.
The Lions’ AFLW success – featuring in six of eight grand finals – inspired a 133 per cent community participation increase in the women’s space since 2019.
Loading
Last year’s total of 64,000 players (excluding Auskick, AFL Superkick and AFL Nines) was a 17 per cent annual spike in Queensland, and narrowed rugby league’s ascendancy (approximately 70,000 club registrations).
Further success will likely trigger more growth, with Suns forward Ben King believing the club has finally found its identity after 14 years without a finals appearance.
“We’ve had patches over my career where we’ve played some good footy for a couple of games in a row, but it hasn’t felt like this, where the brand and identity of our footy is really strong,” said King, who kicked five goals against the Kangaroos.
“No doubt there will be patches throughout the year where it’s going against us. When you look at it [the Kangaroos win] from a game perspective, we felt there were patches where they had the run of play.
“Our ability to bounce back was really good, and hopefully, when there are those patches throughout the year, we’ll be able to bounce back as well.”
King will celebrate his 100th game against Richmond on Saturday, a delayed milestone after missing the 2022 campaign with a ruptured ACL.
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
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