LURE OF COAST: BOND UNIVERSITY’S PLANS TO RECRUIT AFL PLAYERS
QUEENSLAND is a temporary home to six AFL clubs during COVID-19 but Bond University hopes some players pondering life after footy will make the move permanent.
Spruiking the idea is Rhys King, the grandson of South Melbourne’s Bill King who played in the infamous 1945 bloodbath Grand Final.
King made the move from Albury last year thanks to the Riewoldt Family AFL Excellence Scholarship and was best on ground as he led the Bull Sharks to the QFA Division 2 premiership.
He says the uni is the perfect destination for AFL players looking to further their career off the field.
“I couldn’t see why an AFL player wouldn’t want to stay on the Gold Coast,” King said.
“They can keep playing footy and they can study.
“Especially at Bond University, the education is fasttracked so you can study fulltime, get assistance and get contacts and placements into industry. There are so many potential employers that Bond has contacts with and they really help you get where you want to.”
King keeps a busy schedule.
The forward is studying a Bachelor of Construction Management and Quantity Surveying, working two days a week at a building company, and is hoping to lead Bond to a second consecutive premiership when the season starts next week.
“I’ve been really lucky. A lot of people go their whole career without winning a premiership,” he said.
“I’ve been quite fortunate to win seniors back at Albury and follow it up with another one here last year with Bond.
“Now we are getting set for the short season, so we just really want to come out hard and maintain it.
“We’ve only got eight weeks of normal season and then finals, so I just want to put my head down and really attack the ball. It’s good to be back and get your mind off everything other than kicking the ball around.”