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Every year in trade week, clubs spend most of their time engaged in tense negotiations that often get played out very publicly and just…
Western Australia have defeated South Australia in a close contest in the final U19s representative game of the season. The young Croweaters had their…
His Aspley Hornets team came last and handed in their VFL licence, but Matt Hammelmann still claimed the Frosty Miller Medal for leading the…
The Gold Coast Suns have been assured of their third year of concessions, which could present opportunities for the rest of the competition ahead…
The Gold Coast Suns go into the 2021 trade period with a surfeit of picks, a full primary list and so far their retirements…
After another year of COVID-19 lockdown interruptions, the 2021 draft class appears just as cloudy as the 2020 batch. However, three players have emerged…
Richmond Tigers ruck/forward Mabior Chol will return to Queensland in the upcoming free agency period after agreeing to terms with the Gold Coast Suns.…
Priority picks and concessions have been hotly debated ever since the AFL began tinkering with the draft in order to equalise the competition for…
If a week is a long time in footy, then the past three weeks have been an eternity for the Suns as they have…
The Gold Coast Suns will be keenly awaiting a decision around their ability to pre-draft players from their academy as the concession package enters…
With just six rounds to go in the regular season, only one team is mathematically out of contention for the finals with North Melbourne…
The Gold Coast Suns injury list may have looked horrific earlier in the season, but now with 45 fit players the club is looking…
The bells are tolling for the Old Dark Navy Blues, but it’s a dolorous dirge sounding the death knell for finals in 2021, as…
The 2021 mid-season rookie draft has added a dimension of intrigue to the annual recruitment calendar, with 22 undrafted and mature aged players getting…
The deadline for lodgement of inactive lists has come and gone, with the mid-season rookie draft order now set in cement. However, it is…
Despite the potential season disruptions heading into Round 11, the AFL is now gearing up for Wednesday’s mid-season rookie draft in lockdown. Unfortunately, the…
The Southport Australian Football Club this year celebrates 60 years of existence and the Sharks are making the early running as the most likely…
The AFL executive has used the cover of COVID to implement crippling austerity measures across the industry, with junior talent pathways copping it the…
The irony after eight rounds of the 2021 season is that coaches of two of the four lowest achieving teams are relatively safe from…
Leading up to Wednesday, June 2 all 18 AFL clubs will be frantically preparing for the opportunity to bring new talent onto their lists…
No, they do not. The NRL is a competition that was begun at the end of the Super League war. They have nothing to do with City vs Country or State of Origin or Test matches which are governed by the NSWRL. City/Country was always used as a selection trial for NSW Origin, but it ceased in 2017 because players were bashing the suitcase out of each other and Queensland won 8 series in a row.
What has been promoted instead is an Indigenous All Stars team, which often plays international side from the Pacific Islands, but recently it has been a game against Maori All Stars. A lot of players from the bush, but all them playing NRL.
Have they forgotten about the bush? The AFL is neglecting its most important resource
Sydney, Brisbane, GC and GWS have done massive amounts of good for bush footy in NSW, ACT, QLD and NT. All of these clubs have together nurtured ten of thousands of country kids through their pathways to the point where they produce more players than 4 clubs can keep, especially in the AFLW.
The Suns run junior programs from northern NSW, up through the GC and Logan out to the Scenic Rim, then everything north of Gladstone, plus the Pacific Islands and the Darwin Academy. Their Academy recruit for the Men’s team is from 1000kms out of Darwin – it doesn’t get more country than that! The Suns zone is massive, mostly non-AFL and ALL of it is regional.
Have they forgotten about the bush? The AFL is neglecting its most important resource
I might write an article some day on all of the trades and player movement between Freo and the Suns over the years. A lot of the time it appears that Freo got the better of things at first, then years pass and it turns out either not to be the case or else it’s a break even. Lachie Weller, Connor Blakely and Sam Collins vs Jaeger OMeara, Will Brodie and Josh Corbett, plus Charlie Ballard vs Andy Brayshaw and we won’t mention Harley Bennell.
From key forward kicking lessons to a grand final memory-wiper: Here's what your team wants Santa to bring this Christmas
McDonald’s are a huge sponsor of the Suns. Every time the team scores 60 points or more at Metricon people with a match ticket get a free Big Mac. That happened 8 out of 9 times, 9th time an agonising 59 points. Not sure if they did it for the Darwin games, but I don’t see why not. The promotion has been worth millions over the years and it adds to the spectacle, even when the game is lost.
Also worth noting that the Gold Coast has the most Surf Clubs per kilometre of beach than anywhere in the world, which is where the colour scheme comes from. Our indigenous strip is one of the best each season too. No doubt the Suns will change their logo and jersey at some point, but kicking down on the poorest club in the comp is just trolling.
From key forward kicking lessons to a grand final memory-wiper: Here's what your team wants Santa to bring this Christmas
The Suns will get a boost from Ben King, but Levi Casboult represented 80% of the output and they lose whatever gain they make with Rankine leaving, so they really need more from the whole forward line. If King can get back into the 2 to 3 goals a game, Chol maintains his averages, then the remaining forwards have the job of scoring enough goals for the side to be competitive. Add to that some goals from the midfield and you have 100 points a game, which going by one of Leigh Matthews’ axioms, not many losses will result.
So the answer is Jack Lukosius. He needs to have a breakout season. Luko must start impacting the scoreboard, improving set shot accuracy and dictating play from the centre of the ground.
From key forward kicking lessons to a grand final memory-wiper: Here's what your team wants Santa to bring this Christmas
You want Corbett to play high half forward or even far side wing. He isn’t super fast, but he leads to the ball, clunks contested marks and runs all day. 17KM is normal for him. He was very good for the Suns, but they had about 15 AFL standard forwards and had to clear space on their senior list.
From key forward kicking lessons to a grand final memory-wiper: Here's what your team wants Santa to bring this Christmas
Yep, 1908 was a win for Australia (despite the joint effort, it was an Aussie team as the Wallabies were already touring) with young Dan Carroll scoring two tries in the Golf Medal match. 14 players immediately converted to Rugby League upon returning to Australia, leaving Carroll as the only remaining amateur from the tour. When The Wallabies toured North America in 1912, Carroll stayed behind and joined the army. He fought in WW2 and after the war led the USA to gold in Antwerp. Remarkable man.
Have the Socceroos missed out on talent over the years because of other football codes?
The USA won 2 Olympic gold medals in Rugby. But they made their own rules and the game morphed into modern day American football.
Have the Socceroos missed out on talent over the years because of other football codes?
Rory led the team to victory against the odds in his first 2 games back, with the down and out Suns getting up against Sydney & Fremantle. Completely transformed the backline, allowing Ballard & Collins to play their more natural intercepting game. The Suns have a few young emerging stalls who should all be put through a Summer clinic with Rory to develop their lockdown fullback skills, because he was one of the best (when healthy).
Suns stalwart calls time on AFL career: 'Right time to move onto the next chapter'
Rory had a contract for 2023. It was a selfless decision based having a small family & there will be some coaching for him as part of the contract settlement.
Suns stalwart calls time on AFL career: 'Right time to move onto the next chapter'
The thing about these contracts is that the incumbent club can offer low with incentives while the competing club has to over bid.
$650k plus incentives might well win out. It isn’t a great deal different to $4 mill over 5 years, but then again the guarantee has to be inviting.
Put simply, the Suns are on the up and up, while the Crows are going to lose their best players soon. If Izak chases the $ he misses out on what the Suns are on the verge of.
Alex Sexton at the crossroads
Sexton is under contract for 2023. Wouldn’t be surprised if he extended before next season.
Alex Sexton at the crossroads
Charlie Constable had a similar season to Secco. Came in injured, had bouts of Covid (I chose not to write about that deliberately) and eventually made it into to the senior side for the last game.
Incidentally, CC had 4 disposals and 2 marks in 9 minutes, but he will start in the middle for the twos in the finals and make the most of a season playing himself into form.
Alex Sexton at the crossroads
Touk has had a lot of 3 vote games. I think the warm favourites all have a teammate taking votes off them like Oliver/ Petracca, Neale/ McCluggage, Cripps/ Walsh. Won’t be 4 guys above 30 again. Should be a thriller.
Unfortunately, maybe only a vote at best with Secco likely for 3 in the last game.
Alex Sexton at the crossroads
Suns are very tight-lipped on the size or length of their offer. Crows offer seems to rely on the salary cap being expanded, which may well happen, but it is a risk since crowd numbers are still nowhere near what they were.
Alex Sexton at the crossroads
Secco has always had the potential, but the kind of delivery he is getting now is better than ever before.
Alex Sexton at the crossroads
There’s always one player you don’t want to lose. The past 2 years it has been Peter Wright and Will Brodie, who were both culled due to the salary cap squeeze from Covid. If it is Rankine that leaves this year I think the club will go for an A-Grader.
The Suns are batting 15 deep with forwards. Chris Burgess just won the VFL goal kicking award, Josh Corbett and Secco have been kicking them for fun, while Ace, Darcy, Elijah Hollands and Sam Day have filled in at AFL level.
Ben King might have to swing back into defence
Alex Sexton at the crossroads
Yeah, Dermott Brereton deathrides him something chronic. Others just copy Derm.
Alex Sexton at the crossroads
Love Secco. I don’t know that he and Holman fit in the same forward line, but maybe they work out another role for Nick.
Alex Sexton at the crossroads
I am quietly confident about Rankine staying, but the longer things go the less likely he stays. The thing is that nobody wanted to leave last year or the year before, so it seems weird to have one guy want out while others are super keen to keep moving up the ladder.
Alex Sexton at the crossroads
If you give or take 5 goals for every team, 12 clubs could have made the Top 8. It isn’t a lost season though. Coach got extended, team beat some bigtime opponents and the kids got game time.
Alex Sexton at the crossroads
Rampe being ahead of Gould makes things tough for the young fella. I like Gould as a 3rd large defender because he can defend big and little. No idea what the SUns are thinking, but read today that Swans are interested in Griffin Logue, which suggests that Gould is on the outer, while the Suns are linked to Nathan Wilson.
A way-too-early mock AFL draft
I know you are taking the piss, but they are going back in free agency. That’s 26 for most players. It is a pattern over a long period of time.
A way-too-early mock AFL draft
Agree. It wouldn’t have to be like the AFL where Non-Vic sides are always travelling interstate every fortnight and having to play every club in the comp. You could do it in conferences like American sports where all the local clubs play each other, then the travel to play random sides. The VFL is doing it, sort of, where all the Northern teams play each other, but they don’t play every Vic team and vice versa.
The change I would make to the VFL is that they should form a reserve grade comp separately and let independent clubs play in the state leagues. To begin with, you might just have comps send their best 2 teams to make an 8 team knockout tournament after the regular season finishes. Then slowly expand it so each state still has a domestic comp but clubs can also be involved in a national comp.
As a Queenslander, I feel that the AFL needs to support a Queensland State Football League which includes Cairns, Townsville, Rockhampton/Mackay, Sunshine Coast and Northern NSW as well as the Brisbane and GC clubs. There is enough talent and large enough AFL community support to make it happen. An independent Queensland side made it the VFL grand final this year and won the NEAFL a few years ago.
Have they forgotten about the bush? The AFL is neglecting its most important resource