Labrador go into bat for QAFL rivals
THE Labrador Football Club have thrown their doors open to host all Gold Coast-based QAFL games for the remainder of 2020 as the only Coast club to not share their home ground with cricket.
Gold Coast QAFL rivals Broadbeach, Surfers Paradise and Palm Beach Currumbin all share usage of their respective home grounds with Gold Coast cricket clubs.
In contrast, the Labrador club’s Cooke Murphy Oval remains unused in the football off-season.
Tigers president Nick McGuire said Labrador would happily host their Gold Coast rivals later this year should they enter a turf war with adjoining cricket clubs.
“If we have to run our competition into cricket season, we’d happily host home games here,” McGuire said.
“Southport Labrador cricket club use our second oval as a back-up ground during their season but our main oval is empty.
“I’m sure the other clubs wouldn’t want to come to us and it’s all a bit tongue in
TIGERS BOSS NICK McGUIRE ON HOSTING ALL QAFL TEAMS
cheek but we’d definitely welcome them as we’re probably just about the only club on the Gold Coast that doesn’t contend with cricket.”
Labrador’s licensed sports club generates around half of the football club’s yearly revenue, meaning any additional fixtures could provide a welcome patronage boost after the venue was forced to shut its doors in March.
McGuire also refused to buy into claims that any revised 2020 QAFL season and eventual premier would be plagued by an “asterisk” due to the COVID-19 pandemic reshaping the season.
“Depending on what the season looks like, and it might be a nine-round season (playing every team once), we won’t be treating it like it doesn’t mean anything,” he said.
“It’s just like any normal season and we’re just keen to see footy back up and running again.”
Labrador players have all been assigned a training program during the season shutdown and have been keeping each other accountable via social media in anticipation of a season later this year.
IT’S ALL A BIT TONGUE IN CHEEK BUT WE’D DEFINITELY WELCOME THEM