AFL Cairns not awarding 2020’s major gongs
A CRATHERN Medal will not be awarded and it is unlikely a premier will be crowned in the upcoming condensed AFL Cairns season.
Following a meeting with league officials and club presidents late last week, discussions are still ongoing about what the structure of the 2020 season will look like, with it likely to start about July 10.
A season with clubs playing each other once or twice is being discussed, with a finals series to follow.
But, the major annual awards will not be handed out, AFL Cairns managing director Gary Young said.
The Crathern Medal, awarded to the best and fairest player in the competition each season, will not be awarded in 2020, with the status of the premier still to be decided.
“We might not have a premier. The only other time that has happened, that I know of, is 2004, and they were for very different reasons,” Young said. “We give them a different name if they win it … we might play each other once and then play a round robin finals series. We would not call them the premier.
“We would call them something else. It is going to be a season like no other.
“This season will be about engaging people and getting back to playing. Things will be very different.”
Awarding a Crathern Medal this year would not have credibility, Young says.
South Cairns ruckman Jake Roach won the prize last season.
The original plan earlier this year saw the 2020 season resuming as soon as restrictions were lifted, but Young said a couple of pre-season games now may be played following the extended lay-off from training. Stage 2 of the state’s road map to easing restrictions being moved forward to yesterday means training for groups of up to 20 people can now resume.
AFL Cairns are likely to lend clubs money in the short term and will run on a shoestring budget over the next year or two to cut down costs.