AFL in Cairns: Despite injury, Dixon happy to be back in Cairns
He wasn’t able to take to the field in front of a raucous home crowd, but Cairns’ Charlie Dixon is hopeful a return is near.
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He wasn’t able to be the hometown hero at Cazalys Stadium, but Port Adelaide’s Charlie Dixon was happy to be in Cairns as his return to playing verges on the horizon.
The 31-year-old joined his team for its one-point slippery stunner over St Kilda at a steamy Cazalys Stadium, but has not played a game so far this season due to injury.
A training mishap in January led to ankle surgery, but a setback last week means he may not return to the field for another month.
While able to train in his home town, Dixon was upset he missed the game.
“I was a bit devastated really that I couldn’t play in the game on my home deck really, where grew up playing,” Dixon said.
“But I was lucky to get a training session in and it’s all good – I’m happy just to be up here to be honest.”
Dixon was born in Cairns, and after playing basketball as a youngster, he started playing footy at Redlynch Lions as a 13-year-old. He then moved to Cairns Saints – with whom he played his first senior AFL Cairns grand final as a 17-year-old.
He started his AFL career at the Gold Coast, with whom he played against Western Bulldogs in Cairns in 2010, and had 65 games in five seasons before joining the Power in 2016. It’s where he’s since made his home, finishing as the club’s leading goalkicker three times (2017, ’20, ’21).
But the former Saints junior is no stranger to injuries during his solid AFL career.
Dixon’s broken leg in round 21 of 2018 will go down as one of the more excruciating sights on the field in recent history, a broken fibula ending his season and restricting his 2019 campaign to just nine appearances.
He hit his straps in 2020, the key forward belting 32 goals to finish runner up in the Coleman Medal race and earn All-Australian selection.
After playing every game of the 2020 and 2021 seasons, Dixon is chomping at the bit to return to action, and he anticipates that is not far off.
“It’s not a whole lot I haven’t been through before so I’ve been able to go off my previous surgeries because I have had a lot,” he said.
“It’s really responded well after the second surgery which was a clean out so that was really good.
“I look to train in the main group next week and build from there.”
Port Adelaide did not arrive in Far North Queensland until Friday night, just 24 hours before the game due to limited flights in a situation Dixon described as an ‘absolute s**t show’ on radio.
Virgin, the AFL’s airline sponsor, does not have direct flights from Adelaide to Cairns forcing a stopover in Sydney on the way. They were not able to book a flight with competitor Jetstar.
Upon arrival, both the Power and the Saints were greeted by the humid rain of the tropics – something Dixon is no stranger to.
“The weather’s been what I’m used to from living here,” he said.
The former Cairns State High School student departed the tropics on Monday after spending time with his family.
‘Preference would be June or July’: President, coaches respond to critics
If you were looking for a crisp, accurate and high-flying game of footy, then Saturday night’s clash between St Kilda and Port Adelaide was not for you.
Instead, more than 6600 fans at Cazalys Stadium were treated to a bare-boned, scrappy stunner that had ecstatic punters shaking the grandstand.
The Power dragged themselves over the finish line in the second least accurate AFL game in history by a mere point to win their second game of the season.
Humid conditions and a wet deck meant the thriller could have gone either way, but Port coach Ken Hinkley was naturally relieved his team were able to nab their second win in a row in Cairns.
“It’s always not going to be conducive to fast flowing, clean football to play in these conditions,” he said after the game.
“It’s great we get the game up here, and it’s fantastic to bring the game to the people.
“But it is always going to be played that way this time of year.”
The Saints might think themselves cursed after dropping their second Cairns game to a South Australian team in consecutive years.
Coach Brett Ratten said despite not coming away with four points, his team got a lot out of the trip.
“The way we were embraced by the Cairns people was fantastic,” he said.
“We had a really good week from a club point of view, we just didn’t do what we wanted to do which was get the four points.”
The 5.13 (43) to 4.18 (42) Power victory was preluded by light rain and affected by 88 per cent humidity throughout.
The steamy low-scoring has drawn criticism – most notably from former Power great and commentator Kane Cornes – about the viability of hosting a Saints home game in FNQ.
When asked whether or not hosting a game in Cairns during winter when conditions are more reliable, AFL Cairns president Gary Young said more events, including the Cairns Show and Iron Man, would need to factored in at that point.
“That middle of the year is better … June, July are the best months but the fixture’s a very complex one for the AFL – there are so many themed rounds,” he said.
“In winter they want to come. You are going to attract another 15 or 20 per cent of people wanting to have a holiday and see their game.
“My preference would be June or July (but) there is a lot going on, we try to avoid school holidays because things are a premium rate.”
While there’s no doubt conditions played a factor in the game, Ratten said it was an even playing field nonetheless.
“They had the same conditions … our last quarter and our runs had been pretty good so we didn’t have to worry about that,” he said.
“It was more just the game was up for grabs, the ball was a bit slippery, there were mistakes made that Port capitalised on.”
The win in Cairns had Hinkley and his team smiling ear-to-ear as they attempt to salvage their 2-5 season.
The seasoned coach said he’s been up a few times in his career, and enjoyed every visit.
“I’ve been up here a few times, I’m almost a local,” Hinkley said.
“I quite enjoy coming up here, I know the team enjoys coming up here – getting here was a bit of a challenge for us.
“But we got here and we’re going to go home pretty happy.”
EARLIER: Another Cairns thriller has Port pulling off major upset on Saints
It was a scrappy and hot game of footy in the tropics that came down to the wire, and it was Port Adelaide who willed themselves over the line to get their second win in a row.
Cazalys Stadium was packed to the rafters with frenzied Cairns fans, who watched St Kilda kick themselves in the foot repeatedly against the Power, who won 5.13 (43) to 4.18 (42).
The wet turf and humidity made life difficult for both teams, with neither able to gain consistent traction on the scoreboard.
St Kilda had a hard time on attack, with Port’s Aliir Aliir batting back most entries and doing what he could to give life to his struggling forwards.
As Aliir’s pressure eased off, the Saints were their own worst enemy inside 50, seemingly unable to score goals and keeping the Power in the game.
“We had our opportunities, there’s no doubt about it,” Saints coach Brett Ratten said after the game.
“We had about 61 inside 50s, won contested ball by a bit, won the tackles, won the pressure count.
“But when you have 21 inefficient kicks, you don’t finish your work.”
A quick start by Robbie Gray and Kane Farrell to open the second half had Port’s forward line finding its feet, booting back-to-back majors to put the Saints on the back foot.
St Kilda’s hopes for a win ebbed and flowed on the boot of Max King.
The tall forward booted one goal in the Saints-heavy first quarter, then scored another to open the final term to give his team the energy boost it needed.
But the Power refused to give up throughout the game, sensing their side’s vulnerability and failing to relent throughout the contest.
Jack Steele was the fire St Kilda desperately needed in the midfield to keep his team holding on against a veracious Port.
Power coach Ken Hinkley said after the game that it could have gone both ways, but was proud of his team’s resilience to end up on the winning side.
“I’m so pleased our boys showed enough of a fight to keep going, and after the first quarter where St Kilda got a bit of an advantage, we played some pretty strong, ugly footy,” he said.
“But that’s the way you have to play it this time up here.”
The 26-year-old was here, there and everywhere for his team in foreign conditions to get 26 disposals.
Fun in the tropics
An afternoon of rain in Cairns made the turf at Cazalys plenty slippery to wreak havoc with both teams’ plans.
The 88 per cent humidity made life even worse for the visiting teams, who seemingly spent the first half adjusting to the conditions.
The conditions yielded plenty of errors from both sides, with Port tallying 71 and St Kilda scrounging together 76.
History repeats itself
In their second game in a row in Cairns, the Saints might think themselves cursed.
The team’s gut-wrenching six-point loss to Adelaide in 2021, paired with Saturday night’s bitter one-point defeat, might have St Kilda reconsidering any future games against South Australian teams in Far North Queensland.
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