SPORT DIGEST: Crocs make the big dance, Dragons agonisingly short
Around grounds
Port Douglas will face off against the South Cairns Cutters this Saturday from 5pm at Cazalys Stadium in Cairns in the AFL Cairns Grand Final after accounting for Trinity in the Preliminary Final on the weekend.
The Crocs won 14.17 (101) to 11.7 (73), eventually outclassing a persistent Bulldogs outfit by 27 points.
Starting out with the all-too-familiar finals jitters in front of goal - kicking 2.9 to 2.2 in the first quarter - the class and workrate of Port eventually shone out.
Former Adelaide Crow Jared Petrenko continued his fine finals form with a best-on-ground performance off halfback.
Other good players included Murphy Short, Harvey Moore and Tom Cantwell, while veteran forward Kye Chapple kicked four goals.
Soccer
Douglas United is out of the Far North Queensalnd community league division one premiership race after losing the Preliminary Final on Friday night to Atherton in a penalty shootout.
The scores were locked at 2-2 at fulltime, and extra time could not separate the two teams.
The Dragons went down 1-0 in the first half, but goals to Georges Laulhe and Alastair Baird in the second half put them ahead before Atherton pegged one back late.
After being promoted from the second division this year, United had a strong year, and will be disappointed to miss out on the final play-off by such a slim margin.
AFL Cairns
A host of Crocs have made the AFL Cairns teams of the year.
In the men’s Tom Cantwell, Murphy Short, Shay Linke, Liam Bartels, Zayne Moore and Sam Fairclough were all named in the team, while Brad Cooper was selected as coach.
Caity McPhee and Ella Jones made the women’s team.
South Cairns Cutter Jeremy Piercy was named the 2026 Crathern Medal winner as the men’s Best and Fairest, with Short and Fairclough coming second and third.
Caity McPhee was named the women’s Most Valuable Player while Short was the men’s MVP and Cooper was the Coach of the Year.
Lawn bowls
Mossman results: Bill Allison, Wayne Parkes and Ted Holmes W+8, Bernard Savage, Jimmy Wong and SAS Brian Williams W+12 and winners on the day Shion Kiernan and Terry Richards W+17.
