Cavanah desperate to return for City battle
FOOTBALL TEENAGE midfielder Ryan Cavanah hopes to take the field this weekend for Cairns FC’s clash with Brisbane City after injuring his ankle 12 days ago in the club’s memorable 5-3 FFA Cup win over Mackay Magpies Crusaders.
Cavanah is one of five players Cairns FC has had to manage in recent weeks, with Harrison Corica, Shaun Owens, Fox Slotemaker and Bronson Koppen all battling injuries.
Koppen, who was inspirational in his side’s 6-2 win over Redlands United, is believed to have hamstring tendonitis but will undergo scans this week as a precaution.
Cavanah, an apprentice electrician who spent last year playing for Rincon de la Victoria in Spain, said he was a “70 percent” chance to play this Saturday night in Brisbane.
“I didn’t think I’d miss it but it’s killing me not being able to kick the ball, or be around the boys,” the Innisfail junior said. “It was just stretched ligaments. I ran on it for the first time on Monday and it felt a lot better. I’ll strap it up and see how I go at training.”
Cairns coach Danny Graystone said Cavanah would be a welcome addition against the sixth-placed City. “They’re a hard working, industrial side,” Graystone said.
“They’re quite young and have a lot of energy. We’ve got to be prepared to run. We know they’ll press with intensity so we’ll need to focus on our ball retention, particularly in our defensive third.”
Ensuring his players were well rested during the World Cup is challenging, Graystone said.
“It comes around once every four years and you do want them to watch these games,” he said.
“That said, I think Optus have done me a bit of favour by stuffing up the stream. But we’re at a level where I trust the players to manage their bodies properly.”
Cairns FC is currently in seventh place, ahead of Gold Coast United on goal differential.