It may have been the grand final, but as far as the scoreboard was concerned, it was just another weekend in women’s AFL. North Cairns Tigers reinforced what they have shown all season, with a dominant win over Centrals Trinity Beach Bulldogs.
The 5.8 (38) to 1.3(9) win also marked the seventh time in nine season the Tigers have won the title. But more importantly, it put an exclamation mark on the team’s undefeated 2012 campaign.
Jo Butland, who has played in all seven of the team’s grand final wins, said she had never been prouder in Tigers’ colours.
“We’ve come close on a few occasions, but we’ve never gone undefeated in a season,” Butland said. “When we knew we had the victory, the main feeling was just relief because we had finished the job. You can’t go through a season the way we did and achieve what we did without finishing the job.”
This was the second successive title for North Cairns. During their golden run, the team had previously won five straight grand finals. The win confirmed what everyone knew: the Tigers are the team to beat in women’s AFL. But that title comes with its challenges, according to Butland.
“Everyone wants to beat us and topple us,” she said. “I’m sure a lot of people would have liked to see an upset because we’ve been the dominant team. But we knew we had a job to do, and we went out there and did it.”
Courtesy of The Cairns Post.
