Straker the ‘Mr Reliable’ at Saints
ZAC Straker is shaping into the Saints’ Mr Reliable, with his efforts against North Cairns Tigers putting his team back in the premiership hunt.
Punters at Watsons Oval were brimming with hope as their Tigers traded blows with the Saints for three quarters, before Adam Gross and Straker laid the hurt on Norths in a 17.20 (142) to 12.4 (76).
Much like rounds prior, the Saints struggled mightily to turn over the scoreboard, with the side kicking more than 14 behinds before half time.
Straker was one player to keep a Tigers team – who smelt blood in the water – at bay by locking down his patch of turf.
The lockdown on-baller even belted three goals in the clutch win.
“He’s a good footballer,” Saints player-coach Wes Glass said. “He should be playing somewhere at a higher level that’s for sure, but we’re pretty lucky to have him.”
Norths player-coach Jase Tom has his team competitive on and off the field, and on the verge of their first win in more than two years.
He – and first year Tigers Boe Collins and Brock Carter – kept the Tigers aggressive on all fronts and energised through the majority of the game.
Until Gross booted five goals in the fourth quarter for the Saints.
“The first three quarters we didn’t really play how we were meant to,” Glass said.
“Our structure fell down a fair bit in our structure.
“In the last quarter, we played how we’re meant to play and this is the result that happens.”
Meanwhile, the Cairns City Lions made history at Port Douglas, beating the Crocs on their home turf for the first time in 12 years.
The Lions were without the services of NTFL stars Jackson Calder and Kyle Emery, but nonetheless hit their stride against an sturdy Crocs squad led by Crathern medallist Liam Brandt.
Cairns City youngster Beau Flint had halfback locked down for his side, with fellow young gun Josh Tilmouth equally his efforts on the other end of the oval in the 14.9 (93) to 11.15 (81) win.
“We had a pretty good rotation in the midfield and we were able to keep running over then in the end,” Lions co-captain Brodie Deverell said after the game.
“They got a couple of goals in the end, but we knew if we just kept to our processes, we would get over the top in the end.”
Manunda Hawks were outscored eight goals to one in the third quarter in their 48-point loss to the Centrals Trinity Beach Bulldogs.
Mark Horne, Michael Griechen and Kamen Ogilvie outmuscled the Hawks in the midfield to tip the entry ratio to Centrals’ favour as the Bulldogs ran out with a 19.12 (126) to 11.8 (74) victory.