May hits at Ablett
CO-CAPTAIN Steven May has fired the first cheeky shot as the Gold Coast prepare to host former leader Gary Ablett and Geelong on Saturday.
The pair’s reunion at Metricon Stadium will be the first home game for the travelweary Suns this season after nine straight road trips. And it will also mark Ablett’s first encounter with the club he captained in its inaugural 2011 campaign and played 110 games for before returning to the Cats this year.
May has morphed into a versatile defender this season, meaning he is likely to match up on the two-time Brownlow Medal winner if he sneaks forward on Saturday night.
But in a cheeky dig at his former skipper, May said Ablett wasn’t his chief concern.
“I was talking about that yesterday, saying I’d love to play on Gaz for a bit but (Patrick) Dangerfield is probably a bit more dangerous at the moment,” May said.
“He (Ablett) won’t like that ... but Gaz used to always joke at training he would love to have me in the goal square one on one and it could happen this week.”
The potential duel is only possible thanks to the increased faith shown in Suns key defender Rory Thompson, who has quietly but effectively dealt with opposition marksmen all season.
“The funny thing with defenders is that if they don’t speak about you you’re probably doing a good job,” May said.
“We’ve been waiting for Rory to play like this for a while but he’s been on and off the track with injury.
“We come in against a big key forward, we have no doubt Rory will put him away or at least have a big influence on his game.”
May said the confidence shown in him had helped his own game and was a sign of the club’s general improvement.
It has led to some unfamiliar scenarios.
May admitted he “had no idea what to do” when dragged into a stoppage by Port Adelaide gun Robbie Gray a fortnight ago.
“Footy sort of gets repetitive after a while, then all of a sudden you go into a stoppage and it’s new,” he said.
“I enjoy it in there; I got done a couple of times but learnt from it and a bit of video work this week means I am more equipped.”
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THE Port Douglas seconds may have created a local footy record in their dismantling of North Cairns last Saturday.
Scores lodged in SportsTG showed 18 of the Crocs reserves players kicked a goal in the 227-point rout of the Tigers.
Of the 18, seven kicked multiple goals in the field day for the Crocs. Only able to field 18 players, Port lent two of its squad to North so they could assemble a full side. Fair to say it was a big day out for Port Douglas. ■ WHILE it would not be a first in the history of the league, it was interesting to see Manunda Hawks had a water carrier sent off on Saturday at Crathern Park.
After an interesting call by the men in lime green, the water carrier may have suggested the decision was not quite correct, and given his marching orders for 10 minutes. Players, and maybe a coach, receiving a yellow card is common, but it was rare to see a water carrier cop one. The same carrier was lucky not to get a second one late in the game after a few words with the same umpire. ■ WITH Port Adelaide and Gold Coast having the AFL bye last week after their China game, our spies saw a few local lads coming home for the break. Jacob Heron and Charlie Dixon were seen around the Far North last week as they recharge ahead of the second half of the AFL season. ■ A FAVOURITE of this column, Fitzroy Greenwool, is attracting a bit of interest from AFL clubs.
The clever small forward is being closely tracked by an AFL club that has a bird for its logo, with the club recently reaching out to a former Cairns-based coach of Greenwool’s. The lightning-quick Kowanyama junior recently made his NEAFL debut.