Corporate sponsors rubbed shoulders with local sporting stars, celebrities, journalists and GCFC staffers in the inaugural GCFC Corporate Rec Challenge last night at Southport’s Fankhauser Reserve.
Click here to see a photo gallery from all the great action of Gold Coast FC Footy Week.
GCFC assistant coaches Ken Hinkley and Shaun Hart led four teams of ten through a basic skills session and warm up before joining their charges in two preliminary finals.
Both games were fiercely contested with each side showcasing some keen and previously unheralded talent.
Popular local Australian Idol top-ten contestant Casey Barnes – a cousin of GCFC young gun Maverick Weller - showed some silky skills in and around the rucks.
Champion triathlete Loretta Harrop flew the flag for the girls with several important touches on the wing. GCFC’s Events Manager Meghann Roscoe was no slouch either, creating several chances up forward.
Former Melbourne ruckman Jeff White was a standout not so much for his work on the field – still pretty handy, it must be said - but mostly because he was a good four feet taller than anyone else on the paddock.
Once the preliminary finals were decided, the victorious sides went through to a grand final.
The decider was a game of contrasting styles: Kenny’s Crusaders went long and direct and Harty’s Heroes preferred a run and handball approach.
For the Heroes, GCFC Player Development Manager Simon Fletcher worked tirelessly through the middle, ironman Ky Hurst was a revelation in his footy debut and saw plenty of ball, and GCFC Business Partner Account Executive Andrew Thomas toiled hard for opportunities across centre half forward. Special mention should be made of youngsters Bailey and Harrison Fraser, sons of Fraser Financial Services chief Ian Fraser, who showed plenty of guile and heart against their bigger bodied opposition.
But when all was said and done, basic skill errors let the Heroes down and the Crusaders were good enough to make them pay.
There were several strong performances for the Crusaders.
GCFC Community Programs Officer Corey Bell, perhaps stung into action by his unceremonious dragging in the preliminary clash for failing to leap into a contest (note to coach: he can’t jump), collected plenty of touches in the centre. And with Ken Hinkley marshalling a highly organised backline, and Darren Handley – the man who shapes world champion surfer Mick Fanning’s surfboards – an absolute livewire out of the defensive third, in the end there was little the Heroes could do to stem the flow of Crusader’s scoring opportunities. Crusaders big man, Records Solutions Mark Cornish, was a mighty presence across the forward line and kicked truly for several majors. Basketball legend Shane Heal also snagged a few goals.
So in the end it was the Crusaders comfortably, the margin of three or so straight kicks a fair indication of the difference in class between the sides.
Hinkley was humble and gracious when he held the inaugural Corporate Rec Challenge Trophy aloft at the post match presentation.
‘We were far too good in the first game,’ he said. ‘And when I saw what we were up against in the big one, I knew winning was a mere formality.’
In the end the Corporate Rec Challenge was a fantastic evening’s entertainment and judging by the post-game enthusiasm of all participants the event is sure to go from strength to strength in years to come.
For more information on GCFC Footy Week, click here.
