Manunda’s hard-earned win may have come at a cost, with hard-nosed Hawk Cayne King facing a season on the sidelines if scans reveal a torn ACL. But Hawks’ player-coach Clinton Gribble, himself out of action with a hip injury, said they would have to be able to cope with the loss and was more focused on their ability to finally play to a plan.
Manunda had to overcome a nine-point deficit at half time, but powered home to beat South Cairns Cutters 13.12 (90) to 10.14 (74) at Cazalys on Friday night.
“Cayne’s a strong, hard bloke and it’d be a loss if it was his ACL,” Gribble said. “But we started to play to the structures we set up and now we know each other better you could really see the improvement.”
Willie Alick kicked four goals for the Hawks and took what he thought would be a contender for mark of the year while playing up front. The returning William Aisi was commanding across the half-back line, Luke Powell dominated the clearances and juniors Cameron Duffy were both impressive.
“Willie (Aisi) added another dimension for us; it’s positive signes,” Gribble said.
And it’s positive signs for Souths too, according to coach Grant Russell. Despite a second-straight loss, he said they would take much more from the game than their last effort against Port Douglas.
“We butchered a lot of chances in the first half and I think we played the better footy in the last quarter,” he said.
Glen Gascoyne kicked seven goals in a best on-ground performance for Souths, but Russell was all about praising his juniors.
“Ryan Etherington, Brandon Cole...those sort of juniors that have come through the club really impressed,” he said. “That’s the whole plan (to develop local talent) and I’m sure that’s what AFL Queensland want to see. They need a lot of ticker to go up against the bigger, older bodies and it’s that sort of challenge that is really going to improve them as players.
Courtesy of The Cairns Post.
Last Modified on 16/04/2012 11:35