Cairns clubs show their strength: weekend results reflect community pride and growing depth

It was a weekend that had it all for Cairns sport-three big wins for local AFL clubs, a junior tennis star bowing out at Wimbledon after a gutsy run, and a North Queensland cricket side that proved it can mix it with the best. But the real story isn't just the results. It's what they say about the strength of community sport in this city.

Football and footy: locals flying the flag

The GWS Giants' 24-point win over Geelong on Saturday afternoon was watched by hundreds of Cairns-based fans at the RSL Club on Sheridan Street, where the Far North Queensland Giants supporters group held a members' breakfast. The Giants, who now sit third on the AFL ladder with a 14-5 record, are showing the consistency that coach Adam Kingsley has been demanding. But closer to home, the Cairns Saints marked a milestone by fielding an under-12s girls team for the first time in the club's 47-year history-a sign of how grassroots investment is paying off.

In NRL, the Northern Pride's under-18s side made it five wins in a row with a 32-18 victory over the Mackay Cutters at Barlow Park on Sunday. Club president Andrew Tuckett said the junior program now has 240 registered players, up from 190 in 2024. "We're seeing a generation of kids who want to play for their town," he told The Daily Cairns. Meanwhile, the Cairns Taipans Basketball Academy had 14 players selected for the Queensland under-16 state championships, and the club's senior men's side is on the verge of securing a semi-final berth in the NBL1 North conference with six wins from their past seven starts.

From Wimbledon to the local courts: talent and family

Cruz Hewitt, the 17-year-old son of Lleyton, bowed out of the Wimbledon boys' singles in the quarter-finals on Saturday, but not before winning two matches that kept Australian hopes alive. His first-round victory over Britain's Jack Pinnington was the highlight of a week that saw the younger Hewitt serve 12 aces in a single set. Back in Cairns, the Edge Hill Tennis Club reported a 40 per cent surge in junior membership applications since the tournament began-a bump club president Megan Cole attributed directly to Hewitt's run. "Kids see someone their own age on Centre Court and they want that," she said.

The weekend also saw the return of the long-running Cairns Sport & Recreation Expo at the Cairns Convention Centre on Saturday, where more than 30 local clubs set up stalls to recruit new members. The event, now in its 22nd year, attracted an estimated 4,500 people-up 15 per cent on 2025. Organiser Benji Haines of Cairns Regional Council said the biggest growth area was in all-abilities sport, with the Cairns Dragons Wheelchair Rugby team signing 12 new players in one day.

The price of joining a local club remains a barrier for some families, but several clubs have introduced sliding-scale fees and equipment loans. The Cairns Netball Association, for example, now offers a $50 season pass for concession holders, covering all regular-season games and finals. Association director Lisa Warren said the scheme, launched in January, has already attracted 85 new members. "We want the courts to reflect the community, not just the people who can afford to play," she said.

What comes next: the Cairns AFL Grand Final will be held at Cazaly's Stadium on September 19, with the under-12s girls final scheduled as the curtain-raiser. The Pride's under-18s are targeting a finals berth in the Northern Conference, and the Taipans senior men's side will know their finals fate by the end of this week. For families looking to get involved, the Cairns Sport & Recreation Expo will return next year on the second weekend of July-a date already locked in for 2027. In the meantime, the message from every club this weekend was simple: there is always room for one more.