Conditions leave Lions raw
THE Cairns Lions now know how to play wet weather Victorian-style footy.
The under-17 AFL Cairns representative side got taught a lesson on how to play an inside, contested and wet weather brand of the game by the visiting AFL Goldfields squad at Cazalys Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
AFL Goldfields, which consists of Ballarat, Maryborough Castlemaine and Riddell District Football Leagues, love it in close and tight and they thrived in the rain, recording a convincing win 13.13 (91) – 4.10 (34).
Goldfields’ Luke Sultana received the inaugural Phil Collins Medal for best on ground in the game.
“We started really well in tough conditions and our skills in those conditions were first class,” Goldfields coach Gary Learmonth said.
“We got our hands on the footy first. The boys responded and took their chances up forward. The Cairns boys dropped their heads after we kicked a few early goals and our boys took advantage.”
Parlyane Na’awi, Oliver Koch, Jai Newell and Jordan Jackson all kicked a goal each for the Lions.
Centrals Trinity Beach pair Jai Newell and Alex Evans tried hard for four quarters for the Lions while Levi Norsworthy and Safua Nomoa, from South Cairns, were influential.
“We were probably the better side in the last quarter and a half once the ground dried out a bit,” AFL Cairns Junior and Women’s Football co-ordinator Tim Mackrill said.
“It allowed us to play the game style we wanted to play but the Goldfields are used to playing on small grounds, wet games and contested footy.” THE word out of Crathern Park is they are thinking of a name change. The Centrals Trinity Beach Bulldogs are considering a rebrand – to the CTB Wallabies.
I was at their last home game, last Saturday against South Cairns, and the wallaby droppings were evident all over the ground.
Imagine you’ve just taken a nice pack mark and fallen to the ground and you’ve got wallaby droppings stuck to your skin. Not the best.
“We’ve got it all over the ground. One footy club has actually said they don’t want to play here anymore,” AFL Cairns president Gary Young frankly put it late last week.
Let’s hope it is all cleared up before the Dogs, or Wallabies, host Port Douglas in a fortnight.
■ NEAFL umpire Jamieson Galbraith was in the Far North last weekend for a run.
The developing Darwinbased umpire took charge of the Manunda and North Cairns game on Friday night and did a good job from all reports. Galbraith is a rookie listed umpire in the NEAFL and may be elevated at any time.
It would have been a big thrill for the many young umpires in AFL Cairns to learn from a guy that is dealing with AFL players on a regular basis.
■ IT has not been a positive couple of weeks for footy in the Far North with the Daniel Lock and Henry Mareko incidents.
Let’s hope the focus returns to the action on the park with a big finals series and AFL match between the Western Bulldogs and Gold Coast on the horizon.
■ WITH the spread out nature of Round 14, I got my first decent watch of Pyramid Power for the season.
The Gordonvale-based boys outclassed Cairns Saints at home. It looks like a race in three for the reserves flag with Port Douglas, South and the Power. Also, it was good to see Saints playing-coach Tim Lamprill make his return from a broken leg against the Power.