Young reps vital to Brothers’ A-grade charge
JACOB GRAMS and captain Peter Sceresini (relocated) have moved on in the offseason among a host of departures.
Atkinson said he hoped the young players in the group had learnt from their previous leaders and could take control in pressure moments.
“I think we’ll still do fine. It will be a challenge this year without the depth we’ve had in the last couple of years, which has helped us,” he said.
“Without the depth it’s going to be hard to play well consistently.”
With a short season ahead, one slip-up could be costly, putting the heat on the likes of Matthew Reichardt and Jayden Atkinson to step up and support skipper Matt Sperring, who has managed the role well in the preseason. The change in personnel is typical of the annual merry-go-round.
Stingers and Saints look set to be the beneficiaries of returning players, potentially turning the Cairns Hockey status quo on its head in 2018.
“What I’ve seen is the competition is going to be pretty close across the board,” Atkinson said.