CDRL Round 1 wrap: Storm sets high bar for season
Edmonton coach Anthony Satrick has stressed to his players that one good win means little if the side doesn’t back it up against Yarrabah when the Cairns District Rugby League returns after Easter. CDRL ROUND 1 WRAP >>
News
Don't miss out on the headlines from News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Edmonton coach Anthony Satrick has stressed to his players that one good win means little if the side doesn’t back it up against Yarrabah when the Cairns District Rugby League returns after Easter.
The Storm had the Petersen Park faithful in raptures with a 24-14 victory over the highly rated Innisfail Leprechauns last Saturday night, but Satrick said the focus had already turned to their Round 2 clash against the Seahawks.
Big threes and big threats: 2021 CDRL season preview
“We’re definitely not getting ahead of ourselves, but it’s about how we respond now moving forward,” he said.
“We’ve set the bar that high and now that’s the expectation with which I challenge the boys.
“If this is the bar we’ve set, we’ve got a lot of work to do to maintain and sustain that level of commitment, and that’s a challenge for the playing cohort to get that consistency in their game.”
Satrick said the side was focused on playing a tough brand of footy this season.
“It’s going to be physical but with the element of discipline, which is obviously our growth and development area,” he said.
“If we can mix our physicality with discipline, building pressure and playing in the right areas of the football field, we’ll cause headaches for anyone, but more importantly, it’s the way we want to play.
MORE NEWS:
Taipans must ‘take advantage’ of their time on the court
Barrier Reef Big Bash: Cairns Post’s Team of the Tournament
Milestone men help Taipans to big win back at home
Why Healy is fond of Cairns’ Big Bash cricket tournament
Barrier Reef Big Bash building to a belter after first tournament
“That’s the Storm philosophy this year — getting in the grind, being patient and being physical, but also being smart about it.”
He said the Round 1 win was the result of the players’ hard work in the pre-season.
“The game rewards effort and I thought we put the effort in during the months leading up to it and did the small things right,” he said.
“We were disciplined — really disciplined actually — and I just thought we were too fit, too strong, and a bit too fast for them.
“Our line speed into contact into ground work, I thought we won that pretty easily, and I thought we won the physical aspect of it as well, which enabled us to get some points.”
New forward acquisition Masi Nona was solid alongside prop partner Jonah Rameka, while the Storm spine also showed some promising signs.
“I thought the work of young Tyrell Anton at hooker was really good and the balance in the halves between between Stanley Daniel and Sterling Addo,” he said.
“They were really good just orchestrating the boys around the field, keeping them in their channels and building that pressure.”
Satrick said Daniel had returned to the CDRL this season, after “hiding in the Torres Strait for probably the last 10 years.”
“He won a premiership as an 19-year-old halfback under Brad Arthur during his Cairns Brothers days,” he said.
“He’s getting on a little bit now but his experience in key areas has really been helping us develop as a football side.”
Ivanhoes’ steely focus for success
There are three key ingredients to success in the Cairns District Rugby League, and if Jono Zangrande’s Ivanhoes tick all three boxes the Knights will in the conversation for a top five finish.
Ivanhoes earned a gritty 18-12 win against Atherton Roosters in the first round, and in it they showed the grinding style in which the club hopes to produce a run to the finals.
The Smithfield club is basing their 2021 game plan on defensive mettle; banking on a red, white and blue wall to power their success.
MORE RUGBY LEAGUE NEWS
Northern Pride’s CEO appointment ‘imminent’
Hampton earns Cowboys recall as Payten swings the axe
The numbers behind Luki’s impressive Intrust Super Cup start
They aren’t a one-trick pony, not by any means, but that defensive ability and application are among the most important attributes as Ivanhoes aim for the post-season.
“I’m not overly concerned with the points we’re scoring, I’m more interested in defence,” Zangrande said.
“There were about 10 or 15 minutes there where we defended them, and held them out. That’s the effort I’m after.”
That defence is just one part of what Zangrande hopes will lead to a successful season - just don’t expect the Knights to blow out their opposition.
“It’s the way I’ve tried to coach,” he said.
“At CDRL level, if you’re fit, consistent, and can defend well, you generally stay in the fight a lot longer.
“I think we’ll play a lot of close games this year.
“I don’t expect anything, every team is capable of making it to the top five.”
Ivanhoes are scheduled to host Southern Suburbs at Smithfield in a Friday night blockbuster on April 9.
Friday night games are generally well-attended and a fair money-spinner for the Knights, and with Suburbs’ big come-from-behind 32-18 win against Tully Tigers, a tussle between two in-form, winning teams could attract more people through the gates at Smithfield Sporting Complex.
There are no CDRL games this weekend due to the Easter break, with action to return on the weekend of April 9-11.
KANGAROOS’ PLANS FOILED BY WET WEATHER
KANGAROOS’ plan of unleashing one of the best back lines in the Cairns District Rugby League was foiled by the heavens, with coach Jared Allen now having to wait a fortnight for his next chance to see his side in full flight.
The Mooroobool club fought out a 14-all draw with Mareeba in the atrocious conditions the torrential rain turning both teams’ game plans on their heads as they relied on their men to tuck the ball under the win and maintain the ball.
When Gladiators coach Trent Barnard arrived at Vico Oval on Sunday afternoon, he could only laugh.
The Gladiators had completed a similar trip to face Kangaroos in a trial game just a few weeks ago.
On that day, the sun was out, the heat was stifling, and Barnard learned his team needed more practice in tough conditions as they prepared for a Round 1 game in the same timeslot.
“We’d been preparing for a game in the heat,” he said. “We trained on a Saturday just to get more experience in it.”
MORE RUGBY LEAGUE NEWS
What Williams liked in Pride’s fightback
Big threes and big threats: 2021 CDRL season preview
Pressure on Payten to swing axe at struggling Cowboys
Buzz: Secret NRL report reveals damning injury stats
But on Sunday, it could not have been more different.
The sun was nowhere to be seen as rain tumbled down across the city. Cairns recorded 31mm for the day and, for the 80 minutes at Vico Oval, there was no respite.
“It changed everything,” Barnard said. “It probably suited Roos a bit better, they’re big in the middle.”
It was a wild old ride, but neither side could break the deadlock before fulltime was called - a result both coaches said they were happy with given those conditions.
Kangaroos have an impressive team on paper - and a back line any club in regional Queensland would pay good money for - but any hop of unleashing the outside backs was washed away.
“In those conditions, yeah, I was happy to get away with a point,” Allen said. “We really wanted to get the backline going and see it in action.
“All I got out of it was the effort and attitude of the boys.
“They competed for the whole 80 minutes. We made a couple of errors and there’s some basic stuff to fix like the lines we want the boys to run, and discipline was a big thing - we gave away too many penalties.”
Barnard, who was on his own return from injury, was impressed with his entire squad as they rolled up the sleeves and held out a strong Kangaroos pack.
The Gladiators bombed a few four-pointers which could have swung the result, but Barnard said the side would have plenty to work on ahead of a return to Davies Park against Mossman-Port Douglas next week.
Former Cowboys NRL and Northern Pride flyer Gideon Gela-Mosby was among the highly-touted signings for the Mooroobool club, but it was Daniel Woodhouse who stole the show for Kangaroos.
A former outside back at FNQ Rugby club Wanderers, Woodhouse was named Kangaroos’ best - and Allen warned there was still plenty more to come.
“At the start it looked like he might beat his centre but when the rain got heavier, he just worked hard and made a heap of tackles,” Allen said.
“He’ll be great for us, especially when we get on a dry paddock.”
Kangaroos host Innisfail Leprechauns in Round 2 on Sunday, April 11.
CHILD IMPRESSES AS BAND OF BROTHERS WIN BIG
EVAN Child sent a clear reminder to the Northern Pride by playing a leading hand in Cairns Brothers’ 38-10 thrashing of Mossman-Port Douglas at a sodden Stan Williams Park.
Brothers lived up to their name by taking the field with four sets of brothers in their lineup, with five of the eight getting on the scoresheet.
Child scored a hat trick, and proved why he is among the league’s leading playmakers in a strong performance in atrocious conditions
Darcy Simpson, Nick Harrold and Lachlan Biondi-Odo all grabbed tries of their own, with captain-coach Jordan Biondi-Odo kicking three goals. Patrick Lewis scored Brothers’ other two four-pointers.
It was the first win of Jordan Biondi-Odo’s coaching career, and the former Pride player was happy with his side’s attitude as they end week one atop the Cairns District Rugby League table.
MORE RUGBY LEAGUE NEWS
What Williams liked in Pride’s fightback
Big threes and big threats: 2021 CDRL season preview
Pressure on Payten to swing axe at struggling Cowboys
Buzz: Secret NRL report reveals damning injury stats
While Child and Harrold were strong, the coach lauded young prop Ricky Wardle, who showed the type of form which should have him an easy selection for the when the Pride kicks off its under-21s season.
“They gave it to him and he just kept getting back up,” the coach said.
“We will fix a lot of things, but we want to keep that same mindset and energy we had today.”
ROUND 1 RESULTS
SOUTHERN SUBURBS 32 (Chinfat 2, Watson 2, Fonoti, Thompson-Dodd tries; Chinfat 3, Chambers goals) def TULLY TIGERS 18 (Sipi, Nona, Barba tries; Nona 3 goals) at Alley Park, Gordonvale.
IVANHOES KNIGHTS 18 (Raivaroro, Prior, Murphy tries; Wallace 2, Herd goals) def ATHERTON ROOSTERS 12 (Bob, Willis tries; Grogran 2 goals) at Mungalli Ck Dairy Stadium, Atherton.
EDMONTON STORM 24 (Walker 2, Rosedale, Addo, Lazarus tries; Addo 2 goals) def INNISFAIL LEPRECHAUNS 14 (Haren, Fakalelu tries; Jolly 3 goals) at Peterson Park, Edmonton.
CAIRNS BROTHERS 38 (E Child 3, Lewis 2, D Simpson, L Biondi-Odo, N Harrold tries; J Biondi-Odo 3 goals) d MOSSMAN - PORT DOUGLAS SHARKS 10 (Gibuma, Underwood tries; Amber goal) at Stan Williams Park, Manunda.
KANGAROOS 14 (Lewis, Klowss, Brown tries; Stephen goal) drew MAREEBA GLADIATORS 14 (Hughes 2, Jackson tries; Bowyer goal) at Vico Oval, Mooroobool.
YARRABAH SEAHAWKS had the bye.
SUBURBS’ SECOND HALF COMEBACK
A REMARKABLE second half comeback has powered Southern Suburbs to victory in Paul Stevens’ first official game as the Cockatoos’ coach.
Tully Tigers travelled to Alley Park intent on earning their first win in an official Cairns District Rugby League game since the 2018 season, and only the brave would have doubted them when they led 18-4 at half time.
But Suburbs embarked on a massive second half fightback, scoring five unanswered tries as they started the new season on the right side of the ledger.
Northern Pride-contracted fullback Cephas Chinfat earned a double, as did Jai Watson, as the boys from Gordonvale south to turn around their less than ideal record early in the season.
“I thought Tully were really good in that first half,” Stevens said. “They had more respect for the footy and we went away from what we wanted to do and how we wanted to play.
“It swung around a bit in that second half.
“We spoke about how in the past few years we just haven’t started well, and we wanted to fix that.”
Chinfat was solid at the back, while playmaker Roland Gallen and Thomas Thompson-Dodd also earned praised from the coach.
“I haven’t had anything to do with (Cephas) before but he really kicked into gear in that second half,” Stevens said.
“Thomas was good, he worked his backside off - he’s a hardworking guy - and Roland was in good form.”
There will be a competition-wide bye for the Easter weekend, with fixtures to resume on the weekend of April 10-11.
Suburbs will face Ivanhoes under lights at Smithfield on Friday, April 9, and Stevens said there will be plenty for the side to work on - not only for that game, but for the season.
“I think, with us, it’s going to be a time thing,” Stevens said. “It’s a new team, a new coach, and we’ll improve as the season goes on.”
Ivanhoes overcame Atherton Roosters 18-12 in the tightest contest of Round 1, while Brothers, Edmonton and Kangaroos also earned wins.
Originally published as CDRL Round 1 wrap: Storm sets high bar for season
‘Free lunch for the little criminals?’: Voter lets fly at Miles
A seething Townsville retiree has unloaded on Steven Miles and the Labor party for their handling of the youth crime crisis and school lunch plan.
Next Gen: 11 Queensland junior softballers turning heads
Queensland best junior softballers haved flocked to Cairns to take part in the National School Sports Softball Championships.