By Beth Newman
Palm Beach coach, Daryn Cresswell, has been keen for John Simson to string some games together, and it’s not hard to se why, after a breakout game against Broadbeach.
Simson’s efforts, which earned him the Rd 8 QAFL Rising Star nomination, showed his talent in tough conditions against the Cats.
Through injury and unavailability, Simson hasn’t been able to consistently play games, but Cresswell is glad he finally did.
“We’ve been dying to get him back in the side,” he said.
After Simson played in round one, he suffered an injury and Palm Beach took a cautious route with him from then on, with the youngster playing three games in the reserves before returning to the seniors, against the Cats.
Simson joined the Lions from Geelong this year, along with James Carr, with both showing promising signs early.
The Torquay junior showed his skills in the difficult conditions at H&A Oval, giving plenty of positive signs for the second half of the season, which Cresswell believes will see him play every game.
“Simmo got 20 possessions in about 65 per cent of game time on the weekend, so he’s only going to get better,” he said.
‘We were really conscious about not bringing them (Carr and Simson) in too early and I suspect they’d probably play every game from now on, bar injuries.
On some of the QAFL’s bigger grounds, Simson’s speed proved crucial, but it’s not just their ability to break away that is impressive.
“Not only are they quick but they use the ball really well,” he said.
While many players might have struggled in the wet conditions that the Gold Coast threw up, Cresswell said Simson and some of the other Victorian expats in the side relished them.
“They had big smiles when they saw the rain coming,” he said.
“I told them, ‘you won’t see it too much up here’.
“They love a contest and most of our blokes love the hard ball contests and so those conditions suited them, no doubt.”
