Sporting history is full of underdog tales, and AFL Cairns is no exception to that rule. In fact, since 2003, five of the nine AFL Cairns senior premierships have been won by a team that didn't top the ladder. Souths upset Norths in 2003 and Norths thought they had made up for it in 2004, only to have their title stripped after the infamous pre-game brawl. In 2007, Manunda toppled minor premiers Cairns Saints and it has happened in the last three deciders, with Manunda repeating the dose against Saints last year. It is these stats that have kept Saints honest in the lead-up to today's grand final and given Manunda hope of an upset. "It happened last year for us and a lot of the boys were there for it," Hawks' coach Clinton Gribble said. "They know that anything can happen in a final." Saints co-coach Nick Braybon has done his best to simmer down any hype this season. He hopes that cancels out any thoughts of history repeating itself today. "We haven't got ahead of ourselves and each week has been a challenge to improve," he said. "This week has been the same routine, nothing different." AFL Cairns development manager Eddie Skiba said the trend was proof that a grand final asks more of a team than any normal fixture. "In a grand final, all 18 blokes need to be accountable," he said. "If you look back at the history books, it seems Saints have dominated the comp, but it hasn't really been the case." Skiba was referring to Saints' 10 premierships since entering the league in 1992. "They have won all those premierships, but haven't necessarily dominated all season. It's just come down to their efforts in that one game.
Last Modified on 08/11/2012 15:41