IT was not a mauling this time, but Cairns City Lions will still have their detractors after a 56-point defeat to North Cairns on Saturday afternoon. Lions coach Tim Seymour knows this, but has been buoyed by the return of some infantry and the promise of more to come in the next few rounds. Nathan Brook, Toby Fatnowna and Thomas Furness were all handy in their first game for the new club and their composure under pressure instantly rubbed off on their Lions’ teammates.
As many as seven other faces are expected to filter into the side in coming weeks and only then will the real strength of the club be known.
Their 56-point loss was a better effort than their 193-point humiliation at the hands of Manunda last week and Seymour said their initial goal of a top-four spot was still achievable. Their performance was far from legendary though, considering Norths themselves were thumped by 162 in the opening round last week. There were murmurs around the traps that it would be a long season for the Lions after their annihilation last week and Seymour knew the club’s knockers would not go away that easily after another large loss. But he said his team would continue in their attempts to silence them.
"There’s definitely a few out there that think we won’t be much chop and of course we’re going to struggle through the season," Seymour said. "But we did look a lot better this week … a top four spot at the end of season is still our goal. "I’ve said to the boys that the season’s about more than just the first few weeks."
The fit and physical Tigers outfit did their best to pressure the Lions out of defence, but they had enough presence to hold possession and use their numbers around the ball, something that was missing in the opening round.
"Our decision making and ball control was much better," Seymour said.
Read more at http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2011/04/04/157305_local-sport-news.html
Courtesy of The Cairns Post
Last Modified on 11/05/2011 12:05