Manunda coach Paul Griffiths has taken a swipe at the AFL Cairns schedule ahead of his team’s clash with Centrals Trinity tomorrow, demanding the association look at a way to avoid the number of byes teams endure each season. He is not alone either, with Bulldogs’ coach Tyson Lane agreeing it was one of the most disruptive seasons he’s been involved in.
The Hawks were riding high after wins against Port and Saints before a week off halted their momentum. Tomorrow they play the Dogs before another bye next week. Griffiths said it was impossible to get any continuity given the stop-start nature of the draw.
“I can’t get my head around it, it needs to be looked at,” he said. “It’s an emotional game and momentum can disappear quickly. Everyone’s in the same boat, but when you’ve just beaten both grand finalists it’s hard to deal with.”
AFL Cairns boss Gary Young put it back on the players though, saying it was them who sought the extra weekends off to get away or rest during the season.
“We do it because a lot of guys like to have a long weekend away,” he said. “You’d hate it if one team ended up missing the finals because they were understrength on a long weekend. And we do collaborate with each club’s president so if the players are keen to play they need to speak with them first.”
Back on the paddock though, and Tyson Lane knows his troops will have their work cut out against the competition’s form side.
“They’ve got class in every line, but we need to fight hard to hang on to this fourth spot.”
Courtesy of The Cairns Post.
Last Modified on 17/06/2011 11:31