Crocs clinch hat-trick at finals
Crocs clinch hat-trick at finals
Monday September 2014, 9:40am
By Des Rolfe
How sweet it is!
History was made at Cazalys on Saturday when the Port Douglas Crocs completed the Triple Crown.
The Crocs Seniors, Reserves and Under 17&1/2 Colts all brought home the 2014 Premiership flag to adorn the walls of the Croc Pit.
The win was particularly pleasing for the Seniors as it had been 9 years since the last flag.
The 3pm start for the Senior match meant that both Crocs and Saints would need to be conscious of the very warm conditions and work their rotations professionally.
This they did and the crackerjack pace of the game for the entire match kept the huge crowd enthralled.
At no stage of the contest was either team able to so dominate their opponents that they could indulge themselves in a score-board blitz.
It was tense until the final moment.
The Saints kicked with the aid of a brisk breeze in the first term and snagged the first goal as a result of a gratuitous 50 metre penalty conceded by an over-excited Crocs player.
Crocs forward Ant Sercombe let his opponents know he had come to play and snapped a great answering goal.
Kurt Bradshaw was in everything and the "greased lightening machine" Josh Lea made perfect position and popped through another goal.
The Crocs were stitching their linkages together; Kaine Freyling to Brad Lawlor to Adam Boone - confidence building football.
Declan Kelly was gutsy at half-back and Tommy Clough set out on getting his usual huge possession tally.
The gutsy "Glenn Archer" of CAFL football, Captain Dylan Wearmouth was leading his troops in his inimitably fearless style.
Paul Worthington took a terrific mark and kicked an equally fine goal.
The leaping gazelle Jimmy Mueller was performing wonderfully well in the ruck. Sam Scally, Rowan " Zinger" Hanley, Dillon Prater and Daniel "Turtle" Cross started to make the mid-field their own domain.
The Crocs had not only played outstanding containment football for the quarter but had outscored the Saints 5 goals to 2 whilst kicking against the wind.
The second quarter proved to be the Crocs poorest.
They allowed the Saints back into the game. Ben McCartney was holding Matt Walsh well and Michael Klein-Boonschate, Zak Stephenson, Alex Bendle and Brett McKeown were doing their damnedest to ensure that there would be no major Saints break-out.
Zak Stephenson to Adam Boone to Darren Garth who goaled resisted a potential rout by the opponents.
This was followed by 2 great running goals from Josh Lea and Ant Sercombe, and so it was Port Douglas with a 2 goal break at the half-time interval.
The second half was more of the same from The Crocs. Wind became irrelevant as the Crocs kept boring-in, determined to wrest the game out of the Saints hands.
Damian Williams, who had been well held in the first half, burst in to life and was electrifying, but it was never a scenario of individuals.
Coach Brad Cooper's hard work in successfully welding together a group containing so many new players into a well-oiled machine had culminated, with the most perfect timing, on that "one day of the year!"
The Crocs were the better team on the day.
Congratulations!
Captain Dylan Wearmouth was an extremely worthy winner of the Best on Ground medal.
Well done!
The Port Douglas Crocs Reserves enjoyed an easier path to the flag as, like the Seniors, they were younger, fitter and more determined than their Cairns Saints opponents.
The Crocs burst out of the blocks and did all of the attacking. Mitch Bohm and Ash Davidson were very elusive up forward and Harlen Paulet was active in the mid-field.
Patrick Molan quickly established his superiority in the ruck and did not let up all game. Mick McKeown had 6 touches early and Andrew "Bucket" McLeod was leading the hunt with his usual class. Tim Oke kept making good position and Captain Jordan Corbett was constantly pushing the ball into the Crocs forward- 50. Joel Lawlor, Hayden Bogicevic, Nathan Evans and Dylan Peirce were too strong for their opponents in defence. Gavin Jacks, Ethan McCullough and Josh Donnelly-Hart were having a picnic up-forward. The Crocs set up their win with a 6 goal to 0 first quarter.
The Crocs will-to-win efforts were epitomized by Jack Lowe who forced a turn-over with sheer persistence. Liam Edwards went on his merry way and grabbed a great pack mark.
Cameron Cross kept risking head and skin diving under packs.
Ben Young pulled off an academy award act and got a free, and with Daniel Fenech they were much too good for their opponents.
Jack Dickson and Sean Ladds demonstrated the determined spirit which didn't slacken all day and ensured that the whole team merited their easy win.
Coach Lynton Heffer would be well pleased with his charges.
A great season. Fantastic result!
Congratulations to Ash Davidson on being a very worthy winner of the Best on Ground medal in both the Reserves and Colts Grand Final games.
Results:
Seniors.
Crocs 15.10-100 def. Saints 13.6-84
Goals: A. Sercombe 4. D. Williams 3. P. Worthington 2. D. Garth 2. J. Lea 2. K. Bradshaw. B. Lawlor
Best: J. Lea. D. Wearmouth. T. Clough. D. Kelly. J. Mueller
Reserves:
Crocs 18.14-122 def. Saints 5.4-34
Goals: M. Bohm 5. A. Davidson 5. G. Jacks 2. S. Ladd 2. A. McLeod. B. Young. E. McCullough. J. Corbett.
Best: G. Jacks. J. Lowe. A. Davidson. G. Corbett. P. Molan. T. Oke.
GO CROCS!