Gold Coast Football Club has arrived Cairns ahead of tomorrow’s big game against Bendigo Bombers at Cazalys Stadium.

The team familiarized itself with the beautifully grassed venue during a light skills session this afternoon.

Joining the squad at the session was exciting Cairns-raised prospect Sam Michaels.

The key position prospect turned 17 last week and was a standout performer for Queensland at the recent Under 18 National Championships. He recently moved to Brisbane to play with Redlands in the AFLQ competition.

“It was great to be out there today and in and amongst it with the boys,” he said. “They’re a really professional group, with the way they talk to each other and approach the drills. They take it really seriously.”

And with GCFC able to take on five regional Queenslanders each year for the next three years as it builds playing stocks during its formative AFL moments, with a bit of luck and a lot of hard work Michaels will be able to stay in his home state to pursue his AFL dreams.

“You never know, but that’d be great if it happened. Fingers crossed.”

Meanwhile, local excitement is building ahead of tomorrow’s clash.

High hopes are held for a big turnout for the match, the first and only game the club will play in the region this year.

After losing to the Bombers earlier in the year, GCFC Senior Coach Guy McKenna said he was expecting a more mature effort second time around.

"We're looking to learn from our mistakes from last time around and hopefully we'll apply a few of the lessons we’ve learned against the other sides along the way."

“It’ll be great to see some local talent in Charlie Dixon and Rex Liddy and of course Karmichael Hunt out there. We’re looking forward to not only promoting the GCFC brand of football, but football more widely in Cairns. We’re happy to be the vehicle for that.”

He said the club’s commitment to the development of AFL in regional areas would be unwavering going forward.

"Cairns is part if our academy zone so we're keen to be up here to inspire as many young athletes to be elite AFL players as we can,” he said. "It's up to us to develop the local talent as best we can."

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