TIGERS COACH SET FOR REBUILD
‘I love a challenge’
THE opportunity to return to coaching was too good to refuse for the man about to step into the toughest gig in AFL Cairns’ senior competition.
Brendon Braithwaite will take the reins as coach of the North Cairns Tigers, stepping into the role vacated by former Geelong goalsneak Ronnie Burns, as the club again strives to climb the AFL Cairns ladder.
Based in Emerald during a tough 2020 which has greatly affected his family, Braithwaite, who has won premierships in the WAFL and SANFL as a player but is yet to win a title as coach, is driven by an unquenched desire to lead.
So when he stumbled across the North Cairns advertisement while trawling the internet looking for coaching opportunities, it didn’t take long for Braithwaite to submit his resume and wait for the call from new football manager Tarin Moke.
“I love coaching, I love teaching, it’s a part of me,” Braithwaite said.
“After a period I thought I’d get back to coaching, so I started searching. When I saw the Tigers job, I jumped.”
To say it’s been a tough run for the Tigers this decade is an understatement. North Cairns owns five of the past six wooden spoons, winning just six games since it made the top four in 2014, and last won a game on March 23, 2018, a season in which it won two games.
The only way is up for the Tigers, who despite their terrible on-field record are full of dedicated players motivated to finally turn around their tough run of the past few years.
And Braithwaite is driven by the challenge of restoring pride to the North Cairns club.
“I love a challenge,” Braithwaite said. “I’ve been through it before. I’ve won premierships as a player, as a captain, and I’ve yet to win one as a coach, but I’m driven.”
Braithwaite’s expectations align with what Moke and the Tigers committee are trying to build, and he has already spoken to several potential players in Cairns and interstate to help fill out the roster.
“The club looks great, the facilities look great, and I’ve coached before, so I understand what the club is looking for,” Braithwaite said.
“I can offer this group and the club something, give them some leadership and steer them in the right direction.
“We just need a bit of commitment and direction. I’ve got enough to experience to hopefully help them grow and get competitive again.”
Moke received plenty of applications for the role but said Braithwaite fit the mould for the type of club she and the committee were striving to build.
■ AFL Cairns will host a come-and-try session at Cazalys Stadium on Thursday evening in an attempt to recruit more umpires. The session will run from 5.45pm to 7pm.