Cairns Saints

The Saints’ impact on football in Cairns has been little short of phenomenal. Formed as recently as 1993, the club has already claimed eight senior grade premierships. Formed in 1993, it almost made a dream start to its existence with the reserves capturing that season’s flag and the seniors falling only at the final hurdle against Centrals Trinity Beach. The key to the club’s instant success was the fact that both its president, ex-Collingwood ruckman Bruce Gonsalves, and the joint coaching pair of brothers Paul and Ivan Clarke, had extensive contacts in Victoria and were able to tempt large numbers of high quality footballers north to sample life in the Sunshine State.

The Saints did not have to wait long to erase the disappointment of their 1993 grand final loss as they proceeded to claim the next three senior grade premierships in succession. In 1997 they dropped to fourth before procuring another hat trick of flags between 1988 and 2000.

So far in the twenty-first century Cairns Saints have contested three senior grade grand finals, winning those of 2002 and 2008, both at the expense of South Cairns.