Hawks and Lions to do battle at Albion Park

If the Sandgate Hawks were to compete with the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba, the result would be an almost forgone conclusion.

But, if the contest was at Albion Park – then that’s a different proposition all together.

The Hawks of Sandgate were the original footy club in the Sunshine State dipping their toes into the harness code through the Ultimate Driver Championship last year.

The Hawks – via a syndicate made of long-term club members and supporters named the Unharnessed Hawks – placed third in the inaugural UDC with their reinsman Pete McMullen.

They are back again in 2026 and will have some opposition in the department of footy-themed slots for the UDC.

Brisbane Lions defender Noah Answerth has teamed up with businessman Andy Colenso to nab a slot in the UDC and have locked in quality Sydney reinsman Robert Morris for their team.

They have named their slot the ‘Lion Kings’ to mirror Brisbane’s success on the big AFL stage.

The original footy-styled UDC slot have welcomed the competition.

“I think they saw that we took the lead and they wanted to be part of it, as well,” Unharnessed Hawks syndicate leader Andrew Crisan said.

“They saw how much fun we had last year and they wanted to be a part of it this year. We are very excited to have the Lions there this time around.

“A lot of us know a lot of the players and we’ll be getting in and mingling with them and bantering with them no doubt.

“We had a lot of our syndicate members’ kids play for the Sandgate footy club.

“A lot of our syndicate members’ parents played for the Sandgate footy club. It’s a big family and we’re moving that family now into harness racing and we’re all part of a big family in Unharnessed Hawks.”

Unharnessed Hawks syndicate member Neil Poppleton concedes his local side couldn’t topple the Lions on the grass, but believes with McMullen driving their horses on the track – they are every chance.

“The bottom line is, we can’t put them on the footy field and have a crack,” Poppleton said

“But, as long as we’ve got Pete McMullen in our corner, it won’t matter who comes at us, we’ll take on all comers, including the AFL.

“There’ll be a great camaraderie and friendly rivalry, which is great.”

Ahead of the first UDC last year, Poppleton coined the name of the slot – the Unharnessed Hawks Syndicate.

The Unharnessed Hawks team ran into the money in the first edition of the UDC and they quickly snapped up champion reinsman McMullen for the 2026 version.

It was a straightforward choice for all parties to back it up from last year’s positive result to finish third.

“It was a very easy decision for us,” Crisan said.

“He’s had over 2,000 winners at Albion Park. So, there is no one better than Pete to represent the Unharnessed Hawks.

“I think Pete’s world class. We’re coming to win this year.”

The Unharnessed Hawks syndicate boasts around 50 members ahead of this week’s event at Albion Park.

The team have welcomed in a few different people from last year’s inaugural campaign and they are all shooting to go a few slots better this time around.

“We’re very excited from last year’s performance,” Crisan said.

“We came third last year, but this year we’re coming to win.

“Make no doubt about it. Pete’s the ultimate competitor and he’ll be trying to win every race, as we will be too. Whatever we can do to help Pete, we’ll be doing.”

Through business and sponsorship interests, Crisan attended the 2021 Queensland harness racing awards night and his involvement in the sport has grown ever since.

He has owned horses such as Hammer Son, among others.

Being involved in the UDC has been a throwback of sorts for Poppleton as he attended the races as a youngster, but he has been away from the code for many years.

Close mate Crisan twisted his arm to get involved in the UDC through their connection at Sandgate and the rest is history.

“It was unreal,” Poppleton said of being involved in the UDC last year.

“I used to go to Albion Park trots when I was a kid, in my 20s and that, but I hadn’t been for a long time.

“It was unreal. Obviously having so many good folk there made it better. And, of course, you’re down on the floor with all the other syndicates.

“There wasn’t a bad bloke there, so it was a lot of fun. Our group in particular seemed to really embrace the night.

“We were, we were robust, we were loud, we were raucous, but it was fun. It was awesome.

“Pete did an awesome job, so we had plenty to cheer on and plenty to cheer home.”

The first edition of the UDC earlier was a popular inclusion on the harness racing calendar with local driver Angus Garrard walking away with the chocolates as the champion of the inaugural series.

The second UDC will be run across Friday and Saturday evening at Albion Park.

by Jordan Gerrans for Racing Queensland