The Ballina Bombers’ headquarters at Fripp Oval is a no nonsense kind of place.
 

A simple brick rectangle, its interior walls are humbly smattered with the fruits of glories past. Sure, there’s a splash of red and black here and there, but you have to look closely before you see it. Only a few simple team lists highlight the recent successes of 2002 and back to back premierships in 2005 and 2006. Team photographs are hung a little crooked. You get the impression they’ve been that way for a while. It’s clearly not a place for overt gloating.

And standing there as a small crowd of excited kids starts to swell – one’s Mickey O’Loughlin in full Swans regalia, another’s a young Hird in head-to-Essendon - it’s a wonderful reminder of the beauty of grassroots Australian football.

The kids are here today to welcome four representatives from GCFC - Charlie Dixon, David Swallow, Todd Grayson and Jesse Haberfield. Far from household names. Not yet anyway. They’ve just come off a day of training in stifling humidity. Not that you’d know. Plenty of gas left in the tank if looks are anything to go by. Hands are shaken. ‘Do you know so-and-so’s’ are shared. It doesn’t take long for a Sherrin to emerge. A tentative game of kick to kick turns into three small groups and a drill soon hits full swing. Cones are arranged on the ground. Footy’s begin to tumble. Handballs hit targets. And bar the odd muffed non-preferred, the skills are pretty good. A kid nails a foot pass. ‘Good leg, mate,’ says a player. The kid’s face splits into a massive grin.

But it’s not only the kids who are enjoying themselves. The players are getting into it too. ‘Let’s get ‘em to take some speccies,’ says one. The kids quickly form a queue. All of a sudden everyone’s a Cazaly, or a Barker, or a Jesaulenko; all of them taking their turn to fly with their arms outstretched, their eyes on the ball, their young teammates squealing at the pure delight of all from behind.

Afterwards heart rates descend in the shade of the clubhouse. GCFC posters are handed out, footy’s are autographed, thank yous are exchanged. But dinners need cooking and homework needs doing. Soon enough the crowd disperses.

‘I’ve done a fair few of these sign on day clinics now,’ says towering GCFC forward Charlie Dixon. ‘It’s great to see the kids, and they’re stoked to see you come down for a kick with them. I came to footy late, so I never had this kind thing. I was a basketballer as a junior and basketball never had anything like it with all this involvement and organisation at junior level and through the underage ranks. It’s great to be a part of it.’

And you get the sense Dixon’s enthusiasm is shared, that perhaps a basic bedrock philosophy has found its place.

‘When I came here John Witheriff and the rest of the board talked pretty openly about the importance of community to the Gold Coast Footy Club and just coming down here to events like this makes you see why. It makes you appreciate the kind of values that’ll carry you all the way through your career.’

On the way back to the car I walk past a couple of poster-wielding kids. One turns to the other.

‘That was awesome,’ he says.

‘Awesome as,’ says the other.

You really do have to love this game.