Comets chasing elusive honour
A PIECE of history is on the cards for Southside Comets as they look to claim coveted bragging rights over their Townsville rivals.
The Crad Evans Shield is the most sought-after reward after premiership success and hosts Southside have yet to etch their names on the prize, which has been contested in the top division since 1963.
But there are high hopes a home crowd at Walker Road sports complex tonight could be the catalyst to the Comets finally winning the prestigious title on top of a stellar year.
All eyes will be on the Premier Men’s match but the hosts are also hopeful their Youth side can break through after missing out in the same game in Townsville last year.
Comets president Keiren O’Brien expected “actionplus” in all five matches and a heap of support to continue the Comets’ 2017 success.
“The whole club is excited and lots of work has gone into getting the fields ready,” he said.
“The fields have settled in nicely and with the help of our sponsors and volunteers, we’ve done a lot of work on it with a roller and addressed some of the sand issues and it has really helped it settle.”
O’Brien said most players were ready to go for the historic moment and he expected they would have to be against some worthy opponents.
“We’ve had a couple of injuries we’re dealing with but at this time of season a lot of players have had time to put their feet up,” he said. “I think the Townsville teams are some quality teams and it should be a very competitive game for us.”
Innisfail United will have teams in Premier Women and Premier Reserve matches and president Paulo di Carlo said it was exciting, although he admitted preparation was tough after the season ended four weeks ago.
He said while Townsville powerhouse MA Olympic would be tough to beat, the club was full of belief after a strong season in their own right.
“Just from past players who have played in Townsville, they tell us MA Olympic is a pretty strong club, so it should be a strong game for both sides,” di Carlo said.
Marlin Coast Rangers will be represented in the Division 2 Men’s match. editorial@cairnspost.com.au facebook.com/TheCairnsPost www.cairnspost.com.au twitter.com/TheCairnsPost