Port Douglas sweat on star duo after shock loss to South Cairns

AFL CAIRNS

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Versatile Port Douglas big man Hayden Graham was reported for striking in the Crocs shock loss to South Cairns on Saturday. IMAGE: Brett Pascoe Photography.

PORT Douglas is sweating on the availability of two of its biggest stars heading into a do-or-die preliminary final against Centrals Trinity Beach on Saturday.??

The Crocs are weighing up their options after playmakers Pete Bury and Hayden Graham were reported in Saturday’s shock 32-point semi final loss to South Cairns.

In what turned out to be a horror afternoon for the Crocs, Bury and Graham have been offered one-match bans for head-butting and striking respectively. Both incidents appeared minor but saw each player sent from the field, forcing the Crocs to play with just 16 men for a chunk of the last quarter.

?Port Douglas coach Brad Cooper said the club was still deciding whether to appeal the suspensions, which could put the pair at risk of missing the grand final if they can topple the Bulldogs this week. The bans would be increased to two weeks if the AFL Cairns tribunal upholds the original decision.

“We’ll be reviewing the footage very closely and decide which way we want to go,” Cooper said.

“Obviously there is a bit on the line now this week and we would love to have both players available for the prelim, so we’ve got some decisions to make.”?

Bury, who has been one the shining lights for Port Douglas this season, has already been suspended once this year for the same offence. The nightmare got worse for the Crocs with captain Kye Chapple, who was well held by South Cairns defender David Welch, sitting out the entire last term with a knee injury.

?It was the second year in a row South Cairns have beaten the Crocs in the semi final to book a place in the AFL Cairns decider.

Some undisciplined acts proved costly for Cooper's men, with midfielder Zach Gubbins also sent from the field late in the opening term. The resulting 50 metre penalty helped the Cutters boot their fourth goal to give them a 20-point lead at the first change, setting the tone for a memorable win.

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