A different-looking Saints will run out this season under a debutant player-coach, but they will play the same brand of footy and adopt the same principles that have seen them win 10 premierships since 1994.
Outgoing mentor James Coatsworth is leading the list of casualties from last year’s grand finalists, while Jesse Dixon, Matt Harth and Josh Martin are also missing from the Saints’ set-up.
Dixon, Martin and Coatsworth will play together this season for Wycheproof Narraport, while Harth will suit up with North Albury.
But Nick Braybon has arrived from Croydon to replace Coatsworth at the helm and he believes they will not lose much once the full squad is assembled. Braybon and Brenton Powell will share the coaching duties and instil the same defensive mindset into the playing group.
“Saints have prided themselves on having the best defensive unit in the competition and my plan is to build another highly defensive unit,” Braybon said. “But when the opportunity comes to attack, we will. We’ll always try to play an attractive brand of footy.”
Braybon, a centre-half forward-ruckman who stands at almost 2m, holds few fears ahead of his first season in a coaching role. That is helped by the fact the playing group is accustomed to winning, with the Coatsworth era yielding two premierships from four grand final appearances since 2007.
Courtesy of The Cairns Post.
Last Modified on 07/02/2012 10:16