HOW LOCAL AFL TEAMS ARE SHAPING AHEAD OF 2020 SEASON
The world has changed since coronavirus hit a few months ago, and so has the outlook of your local footy club. Your AFL Cairns club may have recruited well over the summer, trained hard in the preseason and hit the ground running once trial games started – but it could all look so very different once the season actually does bounce down. JORDAN GERRANS looks at all seven clubs’ outlook before and after the coronavirus shutdown ahead of the 2020 campaign, which will finally start next month.
PORT DOUGLAS
2019 finish: Premiers, finished regular season with 14-2 record.
Before shutdown: The fourtime defending premiers were building towards their crack at a record fifth flag. The Crocs had turned over a stack of players but recruited well enough to be expecting to be a definite toptwo finisher again.
After shutdown: Port Douglas have had an exodus of players going back to their home states – about a dozen – with even a few long-term FNQ residents heading home. Still, plenty of premiership players remain. The Crocs will still be there at Cazalys Stadium when the whips are cracking.
SOUTH CAIRNS
2019: Runners-up, 14-2.
BS: The list of new faces at Fretwell Park kept growing. In February, the Cutters had landed two experienced local footballers and almost a dozen southern recruits to bolster their squad, which lost the 2019 grand final to the Crocs.
AS: First-year South Cairns president Heath Black earlier this month said the Cutters lost a couple of recruits but kept the majority of their glut of quality off-season recruits. In the recent AFL Cairns meeting with clubs, South Cairns was the most vocal about the salary cap and what players will be paid – showing they still have a stack of quality footballers ready to go. The Cutters would be the premiership favourite at this point.
CAIRNS CITY LIONS
2019: Finished third on the ladder before exiting in the first week of the finals, 8-8.
BS: The Holloways Beach-based club were still young last season, so there was every reason to believe they would build on their breakout 2019.
AS: The playing numbers at Lions are massive. In one of their recent training sessions, playingcoach Aaron Davey was so blown away with how many they had there, he had to create more space to fit everyone in and be COVID safe. While they have big numbers of locals, questions remain about how they will be able to get former AFL-listed small forward Ashton Hams and former SANFL utility Davin Ferreira into FNQ from Darwin, and if they remain for the majority of the season, instead of the expected FIFO arrangement.
MANUNDA HAWKS
2019: Finished fourth on the ladder before exiting in the second week of the finals, 7-9.
BS: Respected coach Marc Harbrow called time on his tenure as Hawks coach, in a stint where he took the club to a grand final, and was replaced by the returning Brad Sinclair. Quality midfielder Joel Karwan joined South Cairns, Cameron Gauci retired, reliable big Nathan Weiss may not play this season and Chris Novy headed to Saints.
AS: If there was a market, the Manunda Hawks would be drifting. The Hawks have been the most pessimistic of all clubs about actually playing, citing finances and playing stocks. With that attitude heading into a revised season, it is hard to see them playing finals.
CAIRNS SAINTS
2019: Finished fifth and missed finals, 7-9.
BS: Under new playing-coach Wes Glass, a former Port Douglas premiership defender, there was plenty of optimism around Saints. There was a steady stream of interstate recruits with clearances in to land at Griffiths Park this season. Consistent on-baller Mark Horne, one of Saints’ best in 2019, has moved to CTB.
AS: Saints are arguably one of the only clubs to get better during coronavirus. Previous bestand-fairest winner Dylan McConachy is back in town after living in Melbourne and will be a huge boost to Saints. Former playing-coach Jack Philp has remained in Cairns, after originally being set to move back to Tasmania, also but is unlikely to feature in 2020 for Saints.
CENTRALS TB
2019: Finished sixth and missed finals, 6-10.
BS: Trinity Beach were set to be the big improvers – they had splashed the cash to get local recruits as well as a handful of quality players from Noosa and elsewhere. Wayne Sharkie was signed to go for his second season and Sam Blease was coming on as full-time football manager.
AS: How things can change in a few months. Sharkie is gone, and there are question marks around how many of the Bulldogs’ recruits will come to Cairns now. The talk is CTB is looking to have a “gap year” now, just get through 2020 and go full throttle next year when everything is back to normal.
NORTH CAIRNS
2019: Did not win a game and finished last with a percentage of just 9.10. BS: With a new coach, Ronnie Burns, and full-time football manager, Peter German, on board, the Tigers were certainly going to improve on what they dished up in 2019.
AS: The numbers have been decent at Watsons Oval – they have picked up a heap of former Pyramid Power players.
There is hope North will be much more competitive this year but many of their recruits were only reserves players in recent years. German had planned to grab guys from Darwin as well, which has to be in doubt now.
The AFL Cairns 2020 season will begin on July 10.