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Joe Duckworth Departs Lions FC

CAPTAIN & CLUB LEGEND JOE DUCKWORTH DEPARTS LIONS FC AFTER AN INCREDIBLE SIX-YEAR SPELL

Lions FC captain Joe Duckworth has officially departed the club after playing over 200 games, scoring 50 goals, and lifting ten trophies.

Joe, who is a former Lions FC Junior, will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest captains and players to ever grace the Dutch club and has been a cornerstone in one of the most successful eras in Lions history.

His senior career began at Western Pride, where he broke into the first team in 2015 and starred for the Ipswich-based side until joining Lions FC ahead of the 2019 NPL season.

Across his four seasons at Western Pride, Joe helped the club rise from second-last and third-last finishes in the league into a powerhouse side challenging for the Premiership. The club achieved back-to-back third-place finishes in 2017 & 2018, with their defining moment coming in a memorable 2-1 Grand Final victory over Moreton Bay Jets in 2017!

Joe played over 50 games for the club, scoring over 40 goals.

Ahead of the 2019 NPL season, Joe returned to Lions FC at last.

While injuries plagued his first senior campaign in orange & blue, Joe still made a massive impact when he was fit. He scored 10 league goals en route to his first piece of silverware with the club. Our Lions Men triumphed in the league, winning a second consecutive NPL Premiership!

Joe scored two crucial hattricks at the pointy end of the season as we prevailed in a tightly contested three-horse race!

Coming into the turn of the decade, Joe delivered one of the best seasons of his career. Playing as a nine, he secured the NPL Golden Boot with 19 goals, helping the club win the NPL Championship with an epic Grand Final victory at Perry Park!

It was an iconic campaign that saw Joe score decisive goals in the NPL Semi-Finals and the Brisbane Classico to ensure the season ended in glory. Joe was also named in the NPL Team of the Season for the first time at Lions FC.

The 2021 season saw Duckworth drop from a striker to an advanced midfielder, where he still thrived in the final third, scoring seven goals throughout the year. Our Lions Men went on a staggering Australia Cup run that saw them reach the Round of 16 before falling to Brisbane Roar.

Most notably, they secured a record third NPL Championship title, going back-to-back at Perry Park with a famous 3-1 victory over Olympic FC!

2022 saw Joe reunited with Andy Pengelly, and the two Lions Juniors starred as our Lions Men went on to dominate the QLD competition.

An iconic free-kick goal against Brisbane City saw us defeat our classico rivals 2-0 on the road, and another equally memorable strike helped us defeat them 7-0 in the return fixture at Luxury Paints Stadium!

Joe helped our Lions Men secure the 2022 NPL Premiership in style, dictating the game from the heart of midfield and deservedly taking out the NPL Player of the Year award!

It was a difficult 2023 season for our Lions Men, but we still managed to take out the Football Foundation Cup against Redlands United after a thrilling penalty shootout!

Joe was also named our Player’s Player for the second consecutive season, pulling the strings in midfield once again, and delivering when the team needed him to step up. A beautiful freekick against Olympic FC marked one of his finest goals for the club!

2024 was the season that saw Joe Duckworth cement himself as a club legend. Wearing the captain’s armband with pride and dignity, Joe guided our Lions Men to a historic treble and a powerful Australia Cup run that ended in the Round of 16!

After being dumped out of the first edition of the Kappa Pro Series by the Gold Coast Knights in 2023, our Lions Men got their revenge, fighting from behind to win 4-2 in the Semi-Finals. Facing Gold Coast United at Goodwin Park, Joe lifted his first trophy of the season as we triumphed 3-2 in the dying stages of the game!

We won the inaugural Kappa Queensland Cup title at Imperial Corp Stadium, defeating Moreton City Excelsior 3-0 to lift the silverware! This competition also acted as our pathway into the National Stage of the Australia Cup, which saw us pitted against Perth Redstar in Western Australia in the Round of 32.

A flight across the country, and a proud performance under monsoonal rain saw our Lions Men come from behind to win 4-1 in Perth. We then had the honour of hosting Western Sydney Wanderers at Luxury Paints Stadium, drawing plenty of experience and fond memories in an eventual defeat.

And then to cap off the perfect season, our Lions Men triumphed 1-0 in the NPL Grand Final at Suncorp Park. An incredible season, led by Joe Duckworth as captain. Once again, he was named in the NPL Team of the Season for his brilliant efforts in the centre of the pitch.

Entering his final season, Joe reached two important milestones for the club: his 150th NPL game and his 200th appearance in all competitions.

He directed our Lions Men to a second consecutive Kappa Pro Series title with a late 1-0 victory over Moreton City Excelsior in the Final, and then returned to Perry Park weeks later to decide the Championship.

In his final game for the club, Joe scored his 50th goal, marking the occasion with a stunning first-time finish into the top right corner to give our Lions Men an early lead in the Grand Final. With courage and determination, our Lions Men emerged victorious after a 2-1 win over Moreton City Excelsior. Champions again, and a fitting ending to Joe Duckworth’s glorious chapter with the club.

Across his seven seasons with Lions FC, Joe has represented the club with immense heart, pride, and passion. His professionalism and dedication have been unmatched, and he has rightly etched his name among some of the most distinguished players in Lions history.

It’s not just on the field where our #10 impacts football. Joe is the head of the Football Excellence Program at Corinda State High School, where he also teaches Health & Physical Education.

Joe is deeply involved in the day-to-day delivery of the program, coaching, mentoring and developing students both as footballers and young people. He has been pivotal in shaping Corinda’s strong football culture and has achieved outstanding results under his leadership.

In the Bill Turner Cup, they were Queensland Final Winners & National Finalists. In the Uhlsport Cup, they saw two Senior Girls teams and a Senior Boys team triumph. They boast ISSA Cup Junior Boys Winners, and saw their Senior Boys & Girls make the SPL Grand Finals in 2025, with both groups earning promotion from Pool B to Pool A. Their Junior Boys were also Pool A Finalists in 2025, underpinning the growth and success of the program.

Joe has used his connection to Lions FC to strengthen the pathway between school and club football, providing students with opportunities to train, compete, and grow in a professional environment.

Both on and off the field, Joe is a respected figure within Lions FC and The Lion Richlands. On behalf of everyone at the club, we would like to wish him the best and thank him for his dedication and leadership.

COMPLETE LIONS FC STATS

2019 – 2025

214 Games Played

50 Goals Scored

2019 & 2022 NPL Premiership

2021, 2021, 2023 & 2024 NPL Championship

2023 & 2024 Kappa Pro Series

2024 Kappa Queensland Cup

2023 Football Foundation Cup

2020, 2022 & 2024 NPL Team of the Season

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