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PORT Douglas recorded a hard-fought 14-point win over an impressive South Cairns on Good Friday.

After an early scare, the Crocs clicked into gear to play some exciting football in front of a crowd of around 1000 people.

The Cutters threatened to spoil the Easter party at the Port Douglas Sporting Complex when they jumped the Crocs in the opening term, opening up a handy buffer at quarter time with a 5.2 to 2.4 term.

Simply put, they were cracking in harder than the reigning back-to-back premier.

But the Port of old returned in the second term, wrestling back the ascendancy with an 8.3 to 2.3 quarter which they maintained, for the most part, for the rest of the afternoon.

It was a ripping game of footy.

New recruit Brett Meredith showed his class in his first game for the Crocs, while Todd Shapter and Brett Mckeown were instrumental in the win. Yet it was the talented Mitch Bohm who proved the difference with a six-goal, best-on-ground performance.

The live wire forward admitted his team took a while to connect, and pointed to the raft of new faces in the side.

"We've lost a fair few, I think about eight or so, but the boys that have come in have just fitted into their roles perfectly," he told AFL Cairns TV after the game.

"That's probably why we started so slow, we have so many new people gelling together."

Port Douglas coach Brad Cooper praised the Cutters, who showed a greater hunger for the contest early.

"All credit to South Cairns, they were first to the footy, wanted the footy and they used it really well like a team that combined well," he said.

"I could make excuses and say that we had nine or ten new players or whatever, but we were just second to the ball, which was the biggest problem.

"We addressed that at quarter time and after that, when we started winning some contested ball and getting first to it, things got back on our side a bit."

Hayden Pyke, Lucas Ehlich and Daniel Lock (five goals) were standouts for South Cairns, who will prove to be a dangerous outfit this year under new coach John Tootell.


AFL CAIRNS - ROUND 1 RESULTS

PORT DOUGLAS 2.4 10.7 15.8 17.11 (113)
SOUTH CAIRNS 5.2 7.5 12.6 15.9 (99)

PORT DOUGLAS
Goals: Bohm 6, Chapple 4, Meredith 2, Gribbon, Bury, Mckeown, Gross, Shiels
Best: Bohm, Shapter, Mckeown, Meredith, Glass, Wilson, Gribbon

SOUTH CAIRNS:
Goals: Lock 5, Dixon 4, Bosen 2, Summerhayes, Teale, Keilar
Best: Pyke, Ehlich, Lock, Welch, Dixon

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