It's not full strength, but AFL Cairns coach Andy Viola still thinks that his side is good enough to beat the best of the rest at Cazalys on Sunday.The pick of the rest of Queensland will assemble under the Country Stockmen banner this weekend, looking to continue their dominance of Cairns after a 50-point win two seasons ago. Missing North's quartet Rex Liddy, Adam Mueller, Tom Clough and Brendan Tennick for various reasons will make it tough for the hosts, but the former Port Douglas mentor still thinks that his troops have the edge. Viola, who will be assisted by Mark Kennedy and Kane Richter, cast his mind back to last year's epic defeat by AFL Sydney, saying that had given them the confidence to match it at the next level. "They had their way with us last time, but I think the Sydney result was massive," he said. "It made our boys sit up and realise that maybe we were good enough." "We've had three solid weeks of training under our belts, and we're ready to go." He also said the bigger ground and hotter weather would help his men. "They were better than us on that small ground and although it was 50 points it really was just a goal or two each quarter that was the difference." In fact, Cairns trailed by just five points at halftime before losing 19.6 (120) to 10.10 (70). Matthew Walsh, who kicked six against the Stockmen in that game, will partner Nick Gill and Daniel Lewis in a three-pronged attack on Sunday. Between them they have kicked 128 goals this season and are sure to give the Stockmen's defence some headaches. "There's plenty of talent there. Those three are in good form, Zak Kelly looks laconic but is strong running and very skilled and I'm hoping Alex Macqueen can sneak a few goals for us,"he said. Viola has enjoyed being away from the grind of footy since relinquishing duties at Port Douglas Crocs last season. "I'm like a kid at a candy shop with this team. I think Kennedy and I are a good partnership in that he sees the controllables and I enjoy picking the weaknesses in the opposition," he said. "We're playing the rest of Queensland here but we'll hold our own." Three players will be cut from the extended bench after training tonight. Battle to fill Stockmen's ranks. Noosa-based Country Stockmen's coach Brett Maloney has scoured most of Queensland to find Aussie rules players committed to representative football. An exhasuting process, he admits, but heading into Sunday's game against Cairns he thinks he's found them. "They haven't come up for a holiday; there's no questioning the commitment because anyone that didn't have it would not be welcome in the team," he said. Maloney coached the Stockmen to their 50-point defeat of Cairns two seasons ago and says his side is confident again despite fielding many new faces. "It was super difficult to pick this side because we're talking pretty much scouting the whole of Queensland," he said. "And we had some players doing eight-hour round trips for training." Maloney is up to speed with any tricks that Cairns may pull on him. "No doubt they'll be strong even if they tell us otherwise. They'll want to make up for last time," he said. What he expects on Sunday is a continuation of style from their last encounter. "The first half of that game was very fast, and I expect it to happen again, This isn't a match were your're building for your season, it's just a chance to rip in and show what you can do, because there is a Queensland Country spot on the line."
Last Modified on 25/09/2012 09:33