New look Crocs hope to rise for AFL Cairns season opener
Published Friday 1 April 2016
PORT Douglas Crocs coach Brad Cooper has backed his new list to rise quickly ahead of their AFL Cairns season opener tomorrow night.
The Crocs have named ten new players to face Manunda Hawks at Cazaly’s Stadium, the first time the two sides have met since the now infamous 2014 incident which led to Cairns based team receiving a year long ban.
AFL Cairns banished Manunda for the 2015 season after the club chose not to travel to Port Douglas for a scheduled fixture.
Cooper said the Crocs would enter the season in a similar position to other years with a high turnover of players, but plenty of optimism.
“Port Douglas is a really transient place and things generally come together late for us,” Cooper said.
“We have a high turnover of players every year, so we know early in the year it might take some time but we try and get to a really solid point as quickly as possible.
“Tomorrow’s team has ten new players in it and we’ve probably got 20 new players at the club. It’s a whole new group.
“No club in Australia turns over more players a year than Port Douglas.”
Cooper, in his fifth straight year as coach, said the club would dust itself off after a disappointing finals exit last year which saw them bundled out in straight sets despite finishing the home-and-away season as minor premier.
The Crocs were on top in the preliminary final having 13 more scoring shots than the Cairns Saints, only to fall short by two points.
“It was disappointing, but that’s footy,” Cooper said.
“It wasn’t like we didn’t turn up in the finals, we played some good footy but in the end didn’t execute on the day.
“We’ll roll up our sleeves and get to work this year, and we’re really looking forward to getting stuck in tomorrow.”
The Crocs were hoping to unveil some new recruits in the coming weeks with a number of players just arriving in Port Douglas from Victoria.
“We try to keep the guys from down south away for the majority of wet season because of the weather,” Cooper said.
“In that regard the group is very new and hasn’t had a lot of time to gel yet, but we’ll get there.”
Gun spearhead Kye Chapple will captain the Crocs in 2016 fresh from booting over 100 goals last year, while Declan Kelly and Dylan Wearmouth will join him in the leadership group.
AFL Cairns – ROUND 1:
Saturday 2 April - 5pm
Manunda Hawks v Port Douglas - Cazaly’s Stadium, Cairns
