FRONT AND CENTRE

WHEN Matt Rowell arrived at Gold Coast, Stuart Dew knew he had picked up a special player — now the rest of the AFL knows it, too.

The No.1 draft pick’s potential was no secret but few would have expected him to be best on ground in his second AFL match, against the vaunted West Coast midfield.

Rowell was brilliant as the Suns snapped a 19-game losing streak with a shock 44-point win over the Eagles at Metricon Stadium on Saturday.

The 18-year-old kicked his first two AFL goals, racked up 26 possessions, 14 of them contested, and stood tall when challenged physically by Eagles stars such as Elliot Yeo and Luke Shuey.

It was a display that drew praise from no less than Geelong captain Joel Selwood, a player Rowell has been compared to by recruiters. “Going to enjoy watching Rowell for the next 15 years,” Selwood tweeted after the Suns’ win.

Having watched Rowell in close quarters on the training paddock, Dew was not that shocked by the teenager’s performance.

“We’re not surprised,” he said.

“He is, I’ll say it, I think I’ll get sick of saying it, but we love that we’ve got him.

“He just loves footy. He’ll eat up anything that you give him in terms of footy.”

Such is Dew’s confidence in Rowell he was happy to use him as the replacement for suspended co-captain David Swallow at the opening bounce.

“We started him in the centre bounce,” Dew said.

“It wasn’t a gesture to get him into the game, we thought he could influence from the start.”

A rising star nomination appears a lock for Rowell, who will look to deliver again when the Suns welcome Adelaide to the Gold Coast on Sunday.