All the talk before the game was about the improved form of the Lions – an amalgam of Cairns City Cobras and Redlynch Lions – a club which occupied the bottom reaches of the ladder for the past few seasons.
A win over South Cairns and a one-point loss to 2014 premiers Port Douglas had Lions fans daring to dream and up until three-quarter time they had reason to celebrate, with Saints clinging to a one-goal lead.
But a four-goal final quarter saw the perennial finalists skip away.
With the breeze at his back in the final stanza, Saints full-forward Matthew Walsh delivered for his side to post four majors at the close.
Earlier, Lions skipped away with an early lead but the windy conditions and an obstinate Saints half-backline prevented them offering their forwards many goalscoring opportunities.
A pugnacious Lions outfit refused to let Saints take advantage of the strong breeze in the second quarter, with Jobastin Priest providing a forward target for a rare goal against the wind.
A Walsh free kick ensured the favourites entered the main break with a one-point advantage.
Two crafty goals from on-baller Brock Bish in the third quarter helped negate a clever boundary set shot from Lion Malcolm Dotoi.
With their greater finals experience, Saints were able to convert more opportunities (4.1 to 1.4) in the final quarter while their blackmen scrambled to apply pressure to any Lions attacking foray.
The John Tootle-coached Lions displayed a solid team structure with good linkages from the half-back line.
The two sides will face off again in the first round of the AFL Cairns premiership season on Saturday, April 11.
Round 1 kicks off on Friday, April 10, with North Cairns meeting Centrals Trinity at Cazalys. The round will be completed when Port Douglas host South Cairns on April 11.
Article Courtesy of the Cairns Post 30th March 2015
Last Modified on 31/03/2015 15:32