The Under 16 Crocs were too good for their southern rivals in Cairns Saints on the weekend. Heaps of junior AFL action here.

UNDER 8
 
Under 8s Coach Matt Scott was delighted with player numbers, with ten enthusiastic players lighting up the Croc Pit on Sunday morning in front of a packed and vocal home crowd.

New signing Hugo ”Warrick Capper” Ellison was sensational in his first game kicking four goals and was well supported by Angus “Dunstall” Van Rooyan and Colby “Swan” Taylor who managed to kicked straight this week with a couple of long bombs.

The three smallest players on the field Hayden “Hunt” Caswell”, Ethan “Baker” Scott and game day captain Kalan ”Ricciuto” Poole used their pace well and were all busy weaving in and out of traffic and opening up the play.

Crowd favourites Kai “Hodge” Durie and Sam ”Cotchin” Wall provided many running and linking passages and even took a couple of hangers which excited the home crowd. The ruck work from both Tam “Goodes” Nguyen and Mr Fix It Daniel “Carrazzo” Harrington was outstanding.

Coach’s awards went to Hugo, Ethan, Daniel and Kalan.

UNDER 10

What a great home game from our Under 10s this week against the Cairns City Lions.  The Crocs showed brilliant defensive work and team spirit but above all, excellent sportsmanship.  

Some top marks and plenty of assistance in getting the ball to the forwards made for an exciting game.  Goal kickers were Jacob Rich 2, Anthony Long 1 and Scott Cooper 1.  

Awards went to Jamie Hudson, Jake Sherwell, Anthony Long and Scott Cooper and the club medal to Jacob Rich. 

UNDER 12

Coming off a win the previous week the Under 12s looked great in their first quarter against South Cairns Red. With a couple of quick goals, the boys stamped their authority early, sending a strong message to their opponents.

A solid lead early in the game allowed all players to try out less familiar positions on the ground in the second and third quarters. This provided an opportunity for players like Toby Ellison to demonstrate some excellent defensive skills across the half back line, quick handballs from Reuben Allison and fierce tackling from both Ryan Bourguignon and Tyson Lynch.

Ben Muia was rewarded for his hard work in all four quarters as he kicked four goals for the game. Joel Bowen also featured in the goal tally, but even more impressive than his straight kicking was his willingness to share the ball in front of the posts when other players had better positions on goal.

Congratulations to Brodey Taylor for his best game of the year. His hard work on the ball helped to guide the Crocs to a solid victory.

Final score: Port Douglas Crocs 16.8.104 def South Cairns Red 4.2.26.

UNDER 16
 
Following a walk over the week before all the boys were anxious to get onto the field and into the action once again.

With a full squad to work with for the first time this year it was easy to experiment a bit.  With the “twin towers” up forward in Amani and Connor the mid-fielders had plenty to aim for. 

Both these boys are close to that 190cm mark and very hard to handle, so it was always going to be difficult for a very young Saints outfit.

When the ball wasn’t marked by either of these two blokes the likes of Chaseley, Aiden and Mitch Bohm were there to mop up.

The usual suspects in the middle of the ground in Brett and Chuck got the ball forward on many an occasions but it was the work of our unsung heroes up back that was most pleasing.
 
Eathan the “Wall” continued his great start to the season with terrific support from Braden Laurin and Tommy Radcliffe and Casey who is maturing at a great rate of knots.

Final score: Port Douglas 15-9-99 def. Cairns Saints 2-3-15.

Best players: Amani Anderson, Connor Zealand, Braden Laurin, Tom Radcliffe, Charlie Williams, Chaseley  Nandy and Brett McKeown

Goal kickers: Chaseley 5, Connor 3, Amani 2, Aiden 2,  and one each to Jake Gibson, Brett and Mitch.

A big thank you to all the sponsors of the Junior section -  Port Douglas Seafood House, Malones Butchers, Port BBQ Chickens, Central Hotel, Sheraton Mirage, Rattle n Hum, Beach Shack, Barrier Reef Tavern, Brumbys, Blood Orange, PD Newsagency, IGA, Mockas Pies, Kenny The 'Croc', Marina Terraces and Cafe Zai.

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