More night games, footy under lights for the first time in Port Douglas and a trip to Sydney for the Cairns representative team are the fixture highlights of the AFL Cairns draw released this week. Having erected lights at the Port Douglas Sports Complex, the Crocs will open their season with a Thursday night game against Centrals Trinity Bulldogs on March 28. The traditional round one grand final rematch, between Saints and Hawks, will be held at Cazalys simultaneously, while Tigers host Lions on Friday at Watsons Oval. Before that, pre-season round-robin competition will begin on March 16, with the final on March 23. The Crocs' clash with the Bulldogs will the first of four under lights in Port, who also host twilight (5pm Seniors bounce) games in round three, seven and twelve, against Hawks, Saints and Lions. Crathern Park will host night football during rounds three, seven and nineteen, as well as one Thursday night match in round fifteen before the Cairns Show public holiday. The Lions, who showed improvement in the second half of last season, will again play three Sunday afternoon games at Holloways Beach after successfully trialling them last season. Teams will have a bye on July 13 so they can attend the Richmond v Gold Coast AFL clash, and will again play on the Anzac Day weekend. The AFL Cairns representative side will play Sydney at Blacktown Olympic Park on June 8, with no club football to be played that weekend. Releasing the 21-round draw, AFL Cairns Operations Manager Sean Hunter said: "Now that we have three venues with lights cpable of night footy, it's great to be scheduling matches at alternative times to the traditional Saturday afternoon."
Last Modified on 04/04/2013 17:35