South Cairns Cutters Zac Ewer, Dwayne Bosen and Hayden Pyke. PICTURE: ANNA ROGERS.
SOUTH Cairns star Zac Ewer does not need to be reminded how important today’s AFL Cairns clash with Centrals Trinity Beach is.
The 2014 Crathern medallist is desperate for his Cutters to gain the double-chance come finals time and knows the Bulldogs stand in the way of their aspirations.
Speaking of Crathern medallists, there is a strong chance reigning AFL Cairns’ best and fairest Damien Roe will front for the Dogs today for his first game this season.
The Cutters credentials are about to be tested with away trips to Centrals Trinity Beach and Port Douglas over the next seven days.
The questions over the Cutters premiership hopes started after their Round 4 defeat to the Dogs at home and the former South Adelaide on-baller has implored his side to find their 2016 form today.
“As a club, we can’t just flick the switch in August, we need to get a good win over the next two weeks over Trinity or Port Douglas,” Ewer said.
“Come September, we do not want teams having the confidence knowing they have beaten us a couple of times during the year.
“I have no doubt those clubs would feel that way about us now, we played shocking against them both last time.
“We need to turn the tables, give them a 10-goal flogging and they will be thinking about that in September.”
The Cutters are putting their focus on generation next with debutants Gideon Ptasznik and Levi Norsworthy named while key forward Paul Smith misses again with a calf complaint.
Ewer is adamant the hunger and fitness is there for the team but says they need to be efficient by foot and hand today.
“We have not had the same team from week to week almost all year,” Ewer said. “Every week the midfield group I play in changes. But, whoever we have in against Trinity, we need to beat them.”
Elsewhere, former Western Bulldog Malcolm Lynch has been named for his second game of the season for Manunda against Cairns City Lions.
The clever small forward kicked six majors in his one appearance this season in a bid to qualify him for finals.
Port Douglas travel to North Cairns in the final game of Round 13.
Meanwhile, the best junior footballers from the Far North will take on their counterparts from around country Queensland in Airlie Beach today.
The best 23 players from the Cairns competition, the Cairns Lions, will battle against Townsville, Mackay, Capricornia and Cape York.
From this carnival, the Cairns and Cape York teams make up the North Queensland side to contest the State Under-14 Academy Championships in September.
Townsville, Mackay and Capricornia make up Central Queensland at the state champs.
Cairns Saints youngster Oakley Wallace will captain the side with Saints teammate Austin Harris and Cairns Hawks tall Connor Munro as vice captains.
“The Cairns Lions have a number of players who played North Queensland last year so we are looking forward to, hopefully, a very successful carnival,” AFL Queensland Cairns regional manager Kieran Daley said.
“Excitement machine McLoffty Gaiden is definitely one to keep an eye on.”
Originally published as Ewer tells Cutters to sharpen up
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