AFL Cairns: Zac Straker leads Saints over hungry Norths

The Cutters came as close as they ever had to winning their first game in two years on Saturday, in a match that came down to the wire against the Saints. ROUND WRAP >>>

A hardened South Cairns Cutters came as close as they ever have for their first win in more than two years.

However, a lively Jonah Lafferty galvanised his Cairns Saints squad, who rocketed home in the final term to a 6.5 (41) to 5.4 (34) thriller of a victory.

The finale to the stand up to domestic violence triple-header at Cazalys had the Cutters matching the reigning premiers stride-for-stride for the majority of the game.

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However, the Saints belted three unanswered goals in the fourth quarter which served as an uppercut to Souths, and provided a sigh of relief to Lafferty.

“The message was effort more than anything,” the first year coach said.

“I gave them a bit of a harsh speech at half time, but then at three-quarter time it was a positive message because we got on top in the last five minutes and we just needed to carry that on.”

Souths held firm on their defensive 50 thanks to staunch stoppages in the midfield from players such as Moesha Dotoi Morris, Isa Matthews and Precious Simeona.

Tall forwards Kendall Judd and Sarah Belton had things handled on the offensive end, ensuring Cutters goals came fast to keep ahead of the Saints for most of the contest.

This is compared to round 1 of the season, where the Cutters were trounced by 60 points against the Saints.

Lafferty had high praise for the Cutters, who came about as close as possible to snapping a winning streak more than two years long.

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“I thought Souths played an amazing game today, I said to my team we were just beaten for three quarters,” he said.

“We have a few things to work on, but in saying that Souths played great football.

“Round 1, we beat them by 60 points. On Saturday, we were lucky to win.

“What ever they’ve been doing at Souths for the last three weeks; I want to find out because it must be pretty bloody good.”

But win the Saints did, thanks to disciplined work in the midfield by Alyssa Gall, Kate Wheaton and Grace Perry.

“That core midfield group … they won us the game in that last quarter,” Lafferty said.

Earlier in the day, Manunda and Cairns City went at it for a second week in a row.

Play was abandoned, however, mid way through the third quarter after Lions player Gail Sevallos came down hard on her knee and had to be attended to by medical staff.

Centrals’ Brooke Knight then ran rings around the North Cairns Tigers and scored two majors en route to a 5.4 (34) to 3.4 (22) victory.

Zac Straker continues to shape into the Cairns Saints’ mr reliable, and his efforts against North Cairns has 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.”

The second half was once again cryptonite for the Manunda Hawks, who were outscored eight goals to one in the third quarter by the Centrals Trinity Beach Bulldogs.

Michael Griechen of the Bulldogs in action during the AFL Cairns men’s match between the Manunda Hawks V Centrals Trinity Beach Bulldogs at the Trinity Beach Sports Club. Picture Emily Barker

In the Bulldogs’ 19.12 (126) to 11.8 (74) victory, Mark Horne, Michael Griechen and Kamen Ogilvie out-muscled the Hawks in the midfield to tip the entry ratio to Centrals’ favour.

Manunda’s Ezekiel Frank and Josh Welsford tried as they did to get back in the contest, but the damage had already been dealt by the Doggies who were in cruise control in the fourth.

Originally published as AFL Cairns: Zac Straker leads Saints over hungry Norths