BITTER RIVALS
Cairns FC set for grudge match with fiery former FNQ Heat star
A BITTER taste that lingers between former FNQ Heat star Kieran Sanders and Cairns FC coach Danny Graystone will make the Olympic midfielder a prime target when the two clubs clash in a fiery NPL showdown on Sunday.
After leading the Heat to the 2016 NPL grand final and a season at Northern NSW NPL club Edgeworth Eagles last year, Sanders has proven himself a class above the competition in 2018 and threatens to terrorise a leaky Cairns FC defence this weekend.
Graystone was “disappointed” Sanders, having shown an interest in joining his ex-teammates at the rebranded club, strung him along as he built his squad late last year but denied there would be any dirty tactics on Sunday in a bid to exploit his fiery temper.
“I was really disappointed he didn’t stay here, or didn’t want to come back to Cairns or didn’t answer my phone calls to be quite honest with you,” he said.
“Kieran’s a very talented player, but he can also be wound up. He’s a bit susceptible, a bit fiery. But it will be a difficult game for him as well. No one likes playing against their former clubs because you still have a bit of your heart there.”
But Sanders said his previous friendships would mean nothing when he stepped on to Goodwin Park on Sunday as he looked to capitalise on the free reign he has enjoyed under former Central Coast Mariners assistant coach Ben Cahn.
“If there’s a big challenge to be won I’m going in it 100 per cent so that’s football and I’ll shake their hands after the game but during the game it means nothing to me,” he said. Cairns FC is set to use Gold Coast’s blueprint to contain the English No. 10 but Sanders was not concerned and lit the fuse, suggesting the Far North club didn’t have the firepower to execute it. “I don’t think they’ve really got any players to cause us problems,” he said. “We’ve got the best defence in the league. Going forward we’re dangerous, so I think they’ve got to worry about us more than we have to worry about them.” Sanders’ success creating and scoring goals so far in 2018 has been a scary reminder of his role in the Heat’s peak, but he has one major weakness. The midfielder has been known to lose his cool at times. “I’d rather beat teams by playing well than getting them rattled. it’s not really a solid foundation to build on,” Graystone said.