Hawthorn can build another quarter-century long dynasty in Far North Queensland and forge a lasting connection in a town ripe for the taking.
That’s the pitch from AFL Cairns general manager Craig Lees as the sweepstakes to determine the Hawks’ next home away from home in the AFL begin, following confirmation earlier this week of the club’s forced exit from Tasmania.
While there are numerous options on the table for Hawthorn CEO Ashley Klein and the executive to consider, Cairns looms as a strong suitor.
This is in large part due to the club’s active connection to the region via it’s ongoing AFLW partnership, which has seen the women’s team has played one home game a year for the last three seasons, with talks ongoing about extending that partnership into 2027 and beyond.
Lees said the Hawks would be met with a huge groundswell of support from the tourism and advocacy bodies in the region should they elect to bring a premiership men’s game to FNQ.
“Our advocacy groups scream out for opportunities like this to stimulate our economy and tourism,” he told this masthead.
“I’d love for (Hawthorn) to create what they’ve done in Launceston for the next 25 years here.
“Our region is only growing, 250,000 are people going to live in Cairns by 2050, how good would it be if we then had Hawthorn playing premiership matches here for the next 25 years?
“I see that as type of deal that could get done based on the history of what Hawthorn did for Tasmania.
“Let’s get the Northern Nest to Cairns and let’s see if they can create a dynasty in our region for a quarter-century like they did in Launceston.”
While Cairns sits firmly on the rugby league side of the Barassi Line which divides AFL and NRL heartlands, the town boasts a unrivalled Aussie rules presence in Queensland outside of the south-east corner at both a junior and senior level.
State league guns out of the VFL, SANFL and QAFL flock to the region every year for a taste of what AFL Cairns has dubbed “Footy in Paradise” in it’s promotional material.
Earlier this month Port Douglas – an hours drive north of the Cairns CBD – played host to AFL royalty in Dustin Martin who chose the local club, the Crocs, to make his return to footy.
A pair of three-time premiership Hawks in Isaac Smith and Liam Shiels make the trek to Cairns just a fortnight later to play for the Manunda Hawks at the region’s premier football facility Cazalys Stadium.
They’re not the only ones, with high-profile players like Gary Ablett Jr, Trent Cotchin, Dane Swan and Charlie Dixon – among plenty others – all featuring in AFL Cairns senior matches since 2023.
In addition, Lees said a growing junior program which encompasses Auskick right through to under-17s for both boys and girls makes Cairns a uniquely strong AFL town in a sea of NRL.
“The 33% growth of our women’s and girl’s offering alone has been massive,” he said.
“Since Hawthorn’s (involvement) commenced in-region through the AFLW contract, we’ve had brand new under-9s and under-13s girls competitions to which Hawthorn is offering support.
“They helped launch the Port Douglas women’s team’s licence 3 years ago.
“That’s the tangible piece. You bring the women’s game in and it goes for 100 minutes, but there’s 280 hours of community attached to what they give the region, and that’s obviously why we’re really angling strong to bring back men’s content as well, because we know the power that it provides.”
AFL Cairns has owned the freehold for Cazalys Stadium outright since 1994, which has already been ticked off once again as an international standard cricket venue with Australia hosting South Africa for a pair of men’s white ball international matches last August.
Lees backed his organisation’s venue as “one of the best” in the country.
“That’s been publicly referenced by many players who have played here,” he said.
AFL Cairns is largely taking a glass half full approach to their negotiations, but Lees said they are simultaneously acknowledging the hit they took when Gold Coast departed from the region after 2022.
FNQ has produced several prominent AFL players over the years, most notably the likes of Dixon and Jarrod Harbrow.
But the talent filtering through to the top level has dried up in recent years.
“From 2023 to 2026 we’ve had no men’s game here in Cairns, and you don’t know the impact that’s going to have,” he said.
“We haven’t had a player drafted out of the region in eight years, and we’re probably not producing as many fans to come and watch those elite athletes because they’ve got to jump on a plane and go down south.
“We still feel that North Queensland has a massive place for premiership men’s matches and there’s now a great opportunity to make that happen with Hawthorn.”