In a competitive match at Blacktown International Sportspark, AFL Cairns have once again taken the spoils over their southern rivals with a hard fought 20 point victory over AFL Sydney.
With an unusually early 9:30am start, conditions were slippery early for the match as both teams sized each other up. AFL Sydney hit the scoreboard first through Henry Mason however Cairns were quick to reply through start full forward Matthew Walsh. As the quarter progressed AFL Sydney appeared to be getting on top however a few skill errors saw AFL Sydney fail to capitalise on their dominance and found themseves 3 goals down at the first break. Cairns were playing much more direct and their efficiency in the forward 50, in particular from Walsh, was proving to be the difference.
When Cairns kicked the opening goal of the 2nd term to open up a 4 goal lead alarm bells may have been ringing for AFL Sydney however the southerners responded by kicking the next four goals of the term to take a 3 point lead into the main break. The Sydney run and carry through the middle had clicked into action as they cut up the Cairns side and looked in control of the match heading to the sheds. The slender 3 point lead to Sydney could well have more and it was something they would rue in the second half.
The third quarter proved to be the difference between the two sides as a rampant Cairns outfit booted 10 goals to 1 to put the result of the match beyond doubt. The intensity of the Cairns outfit lifted considerably led by Brenton Powell and Lukas Ehlich through the middle while Walsh up forward was grabbing absolutely everything and kicking truly. Adam Mueller was creating his own highlights reel taking some spectacular marks inside 50 and making no mistake with his finishing. Momentum is a very hard thing to stop in football and Cairns' was only stopped by the three quarter time siren. It was a truly dominant quarter which saw a 3 point deficit turn into 48 point lead.
With the side nine goals down and facing a big loss, Sydney were forced to make a few changes to the matchups and throw caution to the wind in the last quarter. The changes made and a play on at all costs attitude saw the Sydney side get some run back and peg the margin back however there were no nervous moments for the Cairns side despite Sydney kicking seven final quarter goals.
In the end the final margin was a comfortable 20 point win for Cairns who have now beaten Sydney in both encounters.
The match itself was played in great spirits and was a great advertisment for representative football and both sides should be proud of their efforts.
AFL Cairns 4.1, 5.4, 15.8, 17.11 (113)
AFL Sydney 1.2, 5.7, 6.9, 13.15 (93)
GOALS, AFL Cairns :
M. Walsh 6, A. Mueller 3, S. Knott 2, S. Davies 2, D. Lock 1, L. Ehlich 1,
B. Powell 1, M. Nuggin 1
AFL Sydney :
M. Carey 4, M. Edwins 3, K. Ericson 1, T. Armitage 1, J. Parmenter 1, H. Mason 1,
N. Ryan 1, T. Wales 1
BEST, AFL Cairns :
L. Ehlich, S. Davies, B. Powell, M. Walsh, D. Wearmouth, A. Boone
AFL Sydney :
A. Goodall, A. Pirika, R. Plant, S. Lee-Steere, T. Armitage, M. Carey
Last Modified on 21/06/2013 12:46
