Victorian ruckman impresses AFL Cairns co-captain

With a multiple time premiership ruckman easing into retirement, an AFL Cairns co-captain thinks his club have found their answer in the middle of the ground.

Kye Chapple and Kallam Oates Mates Helping Mates Bushfire Fundraiser, Port Douglas Sporting Complex AUSTRALIA DAY 2020.

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With ruckman Josh Wilson easing into retirement after multiple premierships, Port Douglas co-captain Kye Chapple believes his team has found its new answer in the middle of the ground.

Gippsland League recruit Ben Morrow was one of the Crocs’ standouts in their opening round triumph over Cairns City Lions, as they shoot towards five-straight AFL Cairns premierships. Wilson, an experienced FIFO footballer from Darwin, provided SANFL and NTFL talent to FNQ over the years but is getting into his late 30s and Port Douglas does not expect to see him in 2020.

Kye Chapple sprays the skirting boards in this home to defend against pesky cockroaches, which are thriving in the warm and wet weather. PICTURE: GIZELLE GHIDELLA.

Enter, Morrow.

Chapple, who has been in navy blue and white across all of the club’s recent premierships, thinks Morrow can fill the big boots of Wilson.

“He was a gun for us, he is up from Moe, he looked really good,” Chapple said.

“He rucked against big Liam Woodcock-Nowlan all day and just battled hard, he was good.”

Ben is one of four Morrows who have transferred from different Gippsland leagues to Port this season, joining Justin, Sam and Tyler.

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Chapple said Crocs debutants Lochie Rosevear and Christian Koroneos had also been instrumental in the win, helping to make up for the loss of new Cairns Saints playing-coach Wes Glass down back.

Peter Yagmoor, formerly on the Collingwood-list, returned to his junior club, Lions, on Saturday but could not inspire an upset win first-up.

Down at Fretwell Park, South Cairns got its season off to a perfect start in its Kris Seivers round, an annual memorial match against Manunda to honour one of the club’s players.

While all the talk over the off-season has been about the Cutters’ recruits, it was the incumbents who did the business against the Hawks.

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South Cairns named six best players in their comfortable win over Manunda, with all six being returning players from last season.

The premiership favourites, Port and South, were hardly troubled in Round 1.

Originally published as Victorian ruckman impresses AFL Cairns co-captain