GROSS IN TOP FORM FOR CROCS
PORT Douglas captain Kye Chapple has made his name in AFL Cairns as a stay at home forward but teammate Adam Gross has shown he can comfortably take on the role when required.
In the club’s last-gasp victory over Cairns Saints on Saturday afternoon, Gross played the deepest of the Crocs’ forwards — booting six vital majors, as Chapple pushed up the ground.
With Skip Gribbon unavailable and Saints presenting with a different and underdone backline, the Crocs exploited their strengths inside 50.
“I enjoyed it a lot better because I did not have to run as much, that was nice,” Gross said with a chuckle after the victory.
“Skip usually plays the role that I played and Kye played further up the ground.
“Kye did a great job leading up at the ball.
“There was a lot of space in the forward line.
“The forwards really worked well together.”
Crocs coach Brad Cooper may revisit the structure going forward with Chapple at centre half forward and Gross in the goal-square. “It is something different that we have not done before,” Cooper said. “We will look at it down the track. It just adds another string to our bow.”
The Crocs face North Cairns in a rare AFL Cairns double-header this Saturday afternoon at Watsons Oval.