Lady Hawks on the march
IT is only three rounds into the 2020 season but the Manunda Hawks are treating Saturday’s victory over Cairns Saints as a big scalp to take.
Hawks and Saints were the best performed clubs over the opening two weeks of footy and the brown and gold have kept their unbeaten run alive to sit at the top of the ladder.
Manunda set up their third triumph on the back of a threegoals-to-one second half.
Manunda playing-coach Kareena White says the win was a profound one for her club.
“We thought Saints would be the team to beat this year so we were rapt we got the win on 2020 AFL Cairns Women’s ROUND 3
Manunda Hawks 4.3-27 defeated 2.1-13 Cairns Saints Cairns City Lions 4.4-28 defeated 4.1-25 North Cairns Tigers
South Cairns Cutters Bye Centrals Trinity Beach Bye
Saturday,” White said.
“We had heard they had heaps of numbers and their winning margins over the first few weeks had been really strong.
“The last two years, Saints have just got better and better as they have come into the league.”
Jennifer Wren, who is in the Gold Coast Suns’ Academy, has impressed over the first three rounds of the season.
“She is a young gun,” White said.
“She plays through the midfield, quite tall, she is so quick and slick — she picks everything up one grab and is gone.
“For a 17-year-old, she is one to watch.”
After missing the 2019 grand final, White feels her team has come back with an extra slice of hunger this season.
In other Round 3 results, Cairns City Lions defeated North Cairns Tigers in a hardfought contest at Holloways Beach that opened Dreamtime by the Sea.
CAIRNS Amateurs Cup winning jockey Chris Whiteley has been banned for two months following a stewards inquiry.
Held yesterday in Cairns, QRIC stewards found leading local hoop Whiteley guilty of a breach of: A rider must take all reasonable and permissible measures throughout the race to ensure that the rider’s horse is given full opportunity to win or to obtain the best possible place in the field.
The inquiry was into Whiteley’s ride on Silent Explorer last month at Cannon Park where the gelding was sent out as a $1.30 favourite, jumped first out of the barriers before being restrained to near the back of the field.
“Stewards suspended jockey Whiteley for two months for his ride on Silent Explorer in the Open Handicap 1400m on 25 June 2020 to be served from midnight 4 August 2020 until midnight 4 October 2020,” Queensland Racing Integrity Commissioner Ross Barnett said.
Whiteley has five rides booked this afternoon at Cannon Park.