MAYNE have pulled off a surprise mid-season mini-coup by adding last year’s AFLQ state league leading goalkicker to their list for the away match against Burleigh.
MAYNE have pulled off a surprise mid-season mini-coup by adding last year’s AFLQ state league leading goalkicker to their list for the away match against Burleigh.
Former Richmond forward Cleve Hughes is set to line up for the Tigers at Bill Godfrey Oval, playing on a one-match permit from the Southport Sharks.
Hughes, who topped the 2010 Ray Hughson goalkicking list with 83 for the Sharks, is resuming from ankle surgery and his association with Tiger player-coach Luke Faulkner led him to playing once again in the yellow and black.
There are no NEAFL matches this weekend, so Southport officials decided to ease Hughes back in the second-tier competition.
“They thought they needed to get a game into Cleve,” explained Faulkner, who is confident his Tigers can finally crack it for a win.
Also lining up for Mayne on Saturday are three other permit players, Luke Ferguson, Ed Kimble and Jack Angus, all from Morningside.
The addition of Damien Doolan is the fifth change for Mayne, who had to find replacements for Jack Collings, Sam Paterson, Glenn Sypott, John Seccull and Taylor Murtha.
Burleigh are again in the injury wars, this weekend losing star forward rover Nathan Sullivan (thumb) and key defender Tim McKay (knee), along with Anthony Rofe and Trent Vonarx.
Nick Atkins and Jacob Howell have been named but both are in doubt.
At least Burleigh have some good news via the returns of key forward Luke Rowe and defender Tom Sutherland, although coach Zane Doubleday was still to finalise the remainder of his 22-strong side at the time of writing.
It will be curtains for the Bombers should they lose , agreed Doubleday.
The Bombers are eighth on 12 points and would have too much ground to make up to get in the finals should they fall to the Tigers.
If we lose this one it’s season-ending for us,” said Doubleday. “If we’re any chance of a finals spot we have to win, so it’s a test of character for us.
“If we don’t win this we don’t deserve to play finals anyway because we haven’t beaten anyone above us.
“Our current ;adder position tells us exactly where we’re at in this competition.”
