AN under-manned Orange City will honour former Lion Terry Brown with a minute’s silence before they begin their 2016 Blowes Clothing Cup season against the Boars at Northparkes Oval.
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Brown was a member of the club’s 2014 colts premiership-winning side and played with a number of Lions at a junior level and through the club’s senior grades.
The gifted footballer was last seen at around 7.15am on Sunday morning, jumping from the headland into the water at Boomerang Beach during an Easter camping trip on the state’s mid-north coast, with an extensive search of the area not able to recover the 22-year-old’s body as yet.
Orange City coach Steve Hamson said the club’s playing group has been effected by the tragedy and would honour “a bloody good bloke” the best way they can.
“There’s been a number of phone calls this week ... some of the boys were up there with him on Sunday,” Hamson said.
“We left it open on Tuesday and if the boys didn’t feel like training they didn’t have to.
“He was one of those guys who had amazing skills and he was hugely respected, not because of those skills, but because he was a bloody good bloke. We all enjoyed having him around the club, he was just a funny bloke.
“We’ll have a minute’s silence on Saturday and remember Terry accordingly.”
Northparkes Oval has been a relatively happy hunting ground for last year’s runners-up, with the Lions edging the Boars 17-16 in 2014 and 24-21 in 2013, Cameron Cole and Mesui Lemoto, respectively, scoring last-minute tries to help their side over the line on both occasions.
In the corresponding game last season Hamson’s men did it a little easier, smashing the hosts 57-7 at Northparkes Oval.
Hamson is yet to finalise his side, with backs Sam Dwyer (ankle) and Cameron Cole (shoulder) under injury clouds headed into the season opener, but did reveal former Hawks half-back Keegan Harding would make his club debut in the No.10 jersey on Saturday.
“He’s got all of the skills,” Hamson said of the new Lions ring leader.
“That’s probably the biggest change to our backline from last year. We are without Joey Lasagavibau and Sam and Cameron mightn’t play, but we’ll still look to use our backs. That’s our strength.”
City travels to Parkes to take on the Boars on Saturday, with kick-off at 3.15pm.
