BRODIE’S LAST MAN STANDING AT SUNS
AND then there was one at the Suns.
VFL forward Brodie McLaughlin remains in contention for an unlikely rise to AFL ranks, continuing to train with Gold Coast during the pre-season supplemental selection period.
Of a small group of hopefuls invited to trial, Frankston’s McLaughlin is the only player still at the Suns. The club has one vacancy on its list.
Frankston coach Danny Ryan is calling the 25-year-old – who was overlooked for the Under 18 NAB League and entered senior football in the lower grades of the Victorian amateurs – “the last man standing”.
“He’s obviously been performing well and impressing a few people. We hope he can get across the line,” Ryan says.
McLaughlin topped Frankston’s goalkicking list last year with 24 goals from 12 matches. A shoulder injury had put him out for the first third of the season.
McLaughlin says he was surprised but prepared when he received a call, inviting him to train with the Suns.
He flew to the Gold Coast in early December.
“I’ve known myself that I’ve been ready for this opportunity for a while,” he said. “But I think there’s that little bit of shock when an AFL club is interested in you. It’s pretty surreal to have that, when you play VFL and a club at a level higher reach out and show that interest in you.
“It’s great to have a reward for effort and get some attention. Every year I’ve tried to push myself a bit further.”
He says his time at the Suns has been “really exciting, and hopefully it ends with a good result, but regardless it’s been a great opportunity”.