NEW MAN IN THE NORTH
JOEL Newman knew he wanted to play in a better standard of footy as well as finding fulltime work in the AFL.
A move north to Cairns for the Townsville lad was the obvious option.
After missing the first few months of the AFL Cairns season recovering from an ankle reconstruction, Newman has been a pivotal figure in Cairns Saints’ form revival over the past four weeks.
Newman works at AFL Queensland’s Cairns office as a development co-ordinator, looking after school programs and junior footy in the Far North. The athletic defender has been named in Saints’ best players in all four of his games in 2017 and has provided the extra spark they needed to chase a finals berth.
“The quality up here is a whole lot different and I have found the footy is more enjoyable, too,” Newman said.
“When you are playing with and against better footballers, it is more fun.
“The last couple of weeks, as a club, we have flipped it around a bit and are playing good footy.”
He played in a premiership for the Thuringowa Bulldogs last season and was part of the North Queensland side that fell to their southern rivals.
Saints playing-coach Tim Lamprill wants Newman to be a leader of the club’s next generation.
“He is just a competitive beast that backs himself to win the footy,” Lamprill said. “He always gets the job done.
“Hopefully we can keep guys like Joel and the other guys coming through together and develop as a group.”