Damien Hill six-goal haul, Cutters cut through Lions
Damien Hill and the Cutters once again asserted their ascendancy in the AFL Cairns mens competition with a commanding victory.
Damien Hill and the Cutters again asserted their ascendancy in round 13 of the AFL Cairns men’s competition with a commanding victory.
South Cairns Cutters notched their 11th win of the season with a 15.17 (107) to 7.5 (47) victory over the Cairns City Lions at Fretwell Park.
Four of the top eight goal kickers in the league stepped on to Fretwell Park but Hill dominated with six goals against an illness-hit Lions.
Hill’s influence wasn’t just in front of the big sticks. He found plenty of footy up the ground and his marks up the wing helped his side set up in the front half.
With Karl Petri (two goals) spending majority of the game as the deepest forward as a strong marking target, Hill and Tom Fields’ (three goals) unpredictable movements and leads scrambled opposition defences. The forward trio combined for 11 goals.
Lions star midfielders Beau Flint and Daniel Charlesworth fought it out in the engine room but the constant rotation of Cutters midfielders, led by Crathern Medal contenders Tyler Roos and Liam McCarthy with Jamie Wells tackling hard, ran the Lions down in the second half.
Outbreak
An outbreak of influenza butchered the playing stocks of Cairns City Lions with as many as 12 players affected.
Lions were unable to field a team in the men’s development competition, forfeiting their clash against the Cutters development side.
Meanwhile, Cutters welcomed back A-graders Ryan Nyhuis and Joseph Ugle to the side along with Cameron Ilett and James Dixon.
Winger Brandon Lovell was moved into the midfield and young gun Max Hoffman once again lined up in the ruck to fill the void of absent fly-ins, former Brisbane Lion Matt Eagles and former West Coast Eagle Ashton Hams.
Lions battled hard in the opening half, conceding a tremendous amount of inside 50s but keeping the scoreline down to a respectable 45 points at the main break.
Lions defenders Mitchell Hunter and Cain Murray were everywhere, while Branden Deslandes and Jayden Friend pushed hard to break past Cutters defensive wall.
Bulletproof Backline
With Cutters chasing down there first premiership since 2003, the trio of Luke McKeown, Jermainde Wardle and Ryan Nyhuis could be the pivotal reason they break the 21-year drought.
The versallity and synergy of the three help structure a strong defensive zone, while each players unique strengths provide coach Daryn Cresswell different options for matching up against the league’s best key forwards.
A fortnight ago, seasoned Cutter Wardle got the match-up on goal machine Kye Chapple, combating the second leading goal kicker’s (44 goals) physicality with Wardle’s brute strength.
This week, facing the prospect of the competition’s leading goal kicker Tyron Rainbird (49 goals), a more athletic and agile forward, McKeown got the match-up using his reading of the game and speed to help beat Rainbird in the air and at ground level.
For both matches, former Docker Nyhuis would have more freedom to shift off his match-up and either intercept possession or shutdown a marking contest.
Rainbird to his credit, made the most of his opportunities booting a team-high three goals despite minimal service for the match.
Rainbird leads the race for the Matthew Walsh Medal with fellow Lion Darcy Morris sitting fourth with 32 goals.
Cutters forwards Damien Hill now has 28 goals for the season and sits sixth, while goal sneak Michael Dejonge is eight with 25 goals.
Around the Grounds
Elsewhere, North Cairns Tigers had their biggest victory for the season with a massive 193-point victory over the CTB Bulldogs, 30.23 (203) to 1.4 (10).
It is the second week in a row Bulldogs haven’t kicked more than one goal after their 167-point loss to Cutters in round 13.
Tigers forwards had a field day with Alex Pulling kicking six goals, while Fitzroy Greenwool and James Neale booted five goals each.
2023 Grand Finalists Cairns Saints and Port Douglas Crocs faced off with the Crocs coming out on top 13.4 (82) to 17.10 (112) at Griffiths Park.
AFL Cairns: Lions roar past Cutters, Althouse and Creed-Wray Shine
A matchwinning two goals from Molly Althouse and a powerful performance by Daysia Creed-Wray guided the Cairns City Lions to a 5.8 (38) to 0.4 (4) victory over the South Cairns Cutters in Round 14 of the AFL Cairns women’s competition.
Molly Althouse was a force in the forward line, snatching countless marks and scoring the goal of the round in the third quarter with a remarkable shot from distance.
Creed-Wray was spectacular, especially in the first half, where she consistently found her way to the footy, while damaging the Cutters with her attack.
In a clash between league leaders Lions and fourth-placed Cutters, the game was crucial for both teams’ progress towards the 2024 premiership cup. However, it was the Lions’ staunch defence that made it difficult for the Cutters to score.
Trailing by 12 points at quarter time, the Cutters had their chances in the second quarter, keeping the ball in their forward half but failing to impact the scoreboard.
Emily Forshaw, Jemma Iacono and Sophie Hatzismalis were among the Cutters’ best players, hunting down possessions and driving their team forward, Cutters NTFL recruit Cassie McWilliam was also strong in the ruck.
This is the seventh time the Lions have kept their opposition to a goal or less in their 12 games this season.
Lions defenders Janet Baird, Kerri Hamdorf and T’Chiana Connolly are among the best in the competition and week in and week out, set up a rigid defensive wall orchestrated by coach Jason Wray that is rarely breached.
Combined with their talented midfield, they currently possess the most well-rounded team in the competition and it will take fierce opposition to derail their charge in 2024.
The game also showcased a tremendous battle between two of the competition’s best players this season, Lions ball magnet Amaliya Davies-Scherer and Cutters’ tough competitor Tatiana Finlan.
Finlan was shifted to the backline for the game, playing as a sweeper and constantly launching counter-attacks, while Davies-Scherer was relentless for four quarters.
More Coverage
Both players should be strong candidates for the Jo Butland Medal at the season’s end for their consistent performances throughout the season.
Lions winger Shavinta Dorante-Bann and former captain Jessica Fatnowna were also standout performers.
Originally published as Damien Hill six-goal haul, Cutters cut through Lions
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