On a very warm and sunny Queensland Saturday afternoon, the Brisbane Lions and Sydney Swans were the main attractions at the opening of the Moreton Bay Central Sports Complex – AFL Precinct at Burpengary.

The day was wonderfully organised right from when we arrived at Morayfield Train Station, where the organised parking was for those of us who drove.

When we arrived we were given clear directions by the SES volunteers on the way to the designated parking area on the nearby football oval. The cost of our parking was a gold coin donation for the SES – a great initiative of the day.

From there it was a quick walk to the fleet of shuttle buses and we were on our way to the new Sports Complex.

A short 10-minute commute later and we arrived to a frenzy of activity happening on Oval 3 where the kids’ entertainment was set up. Footballs were flying around being kicked in every direction by kids and parents alike in the centre of the field.  An excellent innovation on the day was a mini football ground, which was contained around its perimeter by blown-up walls and blown-up goal posts for the smaller kids to run around and play inside.

We continued our walk past Oval 3 towards Oval 2 where the Lions Reserves were wrapping up their game against the Aspley Hornets in a preview of their Round Four NEAFL clash later this year.

It was a resounding victory to Aspley with a final score line of 10.12 (72) to 2.7 (19).

We ventured over to Oval 1 where both the Lions and Swans players were making their way onto the ground for their pre-match warm up.

The sun was at its hottest on a clear blue-sky day when the teams were going through their warm drills at either of the field.

The crowd were excited by the news earlier in the week that both Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin and the Lion King Jonathan Brown would both be lining up in their respective sides’ final official practice matches before Round One.

While Buddy showed glimpses of brilliance during the first half, most notably a run and snap from the 50m arc for one of his two goals, he did not re-emerge for the second half due to a knock on his knee.

At the other end of the ground it was a quiet first half of football for Jonathan Brown, however it was difficult for all Lions forwards due to the rushed delivery into their forward line.

The Lions coaching staff will be pleased that Brown got through unscathed and can now train hard with the aim of being ready for Round One.

The match itself was a good contest, particularly in the middle of the ground with the midfields of both sides not giving an inch.  The statistics on the afternoon showed that the Lions actually won the disposal count (371-367) and were very competitive in the clearances (43-46) but lacked clean disposal into their forward line.

The Swans showed why they are rated a Premiership favourite by taking their chances when they went forward, accurate disposal through their backline and twice in the final quarter they went ‘coast to coast’ to kick goals.  

The game was a solid test for the Lions players and they battled well throughout the afternoon in searing heat.

The stand out player for the Lions was Brent Moloney, who picked up 34 possessions and kicked the opening goal for the Lions.

For me the other Lions who performed well on the day included Daniel Merrett, Justin Clarke, Daniel Rich, James Aish and Tom Rockliff.

One disappointing aspect of the afternoon for the Lions was a foot injury to Claye Beams, later revealed to be a fracture, which will see the exciting young Queenslander sidelined for the first couple of months of the season.

At the conclusion of the game the Lions had their official guernsey presentation where a local junior player handed each player their jumper for the upcoming season. It was a nice touch and continued with the theme of the day being a community event.

The most pleasing aspect of the afternoon was the number of families and children in attendance in the crowd of 6,096 decked out in Lions supporter gear cheering their team on. It was remarkable the amount of kids engaged in the match and watching the Lions perform throughout the four quarters against a mighty Swans outfit.

Captain Jed Adcock spoke well after the jumper presentation and echoed the thoughts of many Lions fans and members that the game against the Swans was a good measuring point of where the Lions need to improve and also that the Club is excited to get the season started.

The ultimate beneficiaries of the new facilities are the Caboolture Lions and I am sure that both the players and fans of the local club are going to really enjoy the new complex for years to come.

All in all it was a great afternoon and the Brisbane Lions, AFL Queensland and the Moreton Bay Regional Council should be proud of the event and in particular the facilities that have been built.

Carl Nimb is an independent writer and Lions Member (#2604559) who will contribute to lions.com.au throughout the season.

You can follow him on Twitter @CarlNimb