New coaches, new home for battlers

JORDAN GERRANS

NEW eras began for two aspirational AFL Cairns football clubs on Saturday afternoon at Griffiths Park.

While North Cairns and Cairns Saints are, at first glance, hardly the same, their past four years have been very similar.

Both clubs have bounced through new coaches every year or so and not have had the success they wanted – with 2018 being the exception for Saints, as that season they were the likely challengers to Port Douglas.

But, outside that performance, North and Saints have failed to live up to expectations over recent years.

They start season 2020 with new coaches, who they believe will lead them back to where they want to be.

Ronnie Burns wants to bring relevance and competitiveness to North.

While only finals success will do for Wes Glass and his Saints.

On Saturday afternoon’s efforts, both sides are on track to get there later this season.

The result was never in doubt. Saints we’re always going to get the four points, and win well, which they did, but the black and gold gave them a shake in the second term, which would have buoyed Burns.

For Saints, big forward Travis Tedmanson showed he would cause problems for defences this year while Glass played forward for much of the day, the opposite of what he has done for Port over the past few years.

The start of Glass’ senior coaching career has been coming for some time and he woke up with a few nerves on Saturday morning, despite being in his second decade of playing senior football.

“Due to coronavirus and not having much training time with the boys, I have not been nervous for 20 years I reckon, but I was very nervous the morning of the game,” Glass said. “It has been 10 months since most guys have played footy, there will be rust – we had 11 new blokes into the side that had not played at Saints last year Hopefully we can keep building.”

Local junior Jahmahl Jenkins-Clive provided a spark for the visitors, while former Pyramid Power player Thuraka Sammons was busy for his new club.

After having clearances in to a number of clubs, former GC Suns NEAFL forward Fitzroy Greenwool was on hand to watch his new side, North Cairns, on Saturday.

He will be a handy inclusion alongside Sammons and Jenkins-Clive, who were among the Tigers’ best.

North was belted by 20 goals, but Burns thinks they can build on the first-up experience.

“There is no big expectations from me, I just wanted to see what we had and what kind of talent was at our club, as we have 13 new guys,” Burns said.

“It was good for me to see what we have got, and regardless of the result, it is for us to now see what kind of balance we can find to get the best out of this group.”

It was a healthy return to the local competition as well, with a few long-time Saints members noting they had not seen a home crowd such as Saturday’s in some time.

IT HAS BEEN 10 MONTHS SINCE MOST GUYS HAVE PLAYED FOOTY,

THERE WILL BE RUST – WE HAD 11 NEW BLOKES INTO THE SIDE.

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