SNIPER’S REPORT

WOMEN NEED A CHANGE

We have serious problems with women’s football on the Gold Coast. Is it a lack of player talent or the mentality of female set-ups at clubs? I think the latter, as the minds have stopped the female game growing on the Coast. New ideas, new systems are needed ASAP. A little whisper says a SEQ League with Brisbane is in the mix, something that is long overdue.

BENIGNO RETURNING?

Appointing Keith Garland for the last six games of the season was strange from Nerang, but just when everyone thought maybe the move would be permanent, a new name emerges. Word has it that former Surfers Paradise mentor David Benigno has taken the role as the Eagles’ coach for 2019 and beyond. Will Benigno finally get the title they have been chasing for years?

UNITED FACE D-DAY

The addition of the Gold Coast Knights to the NPL next season causes major headaches for Gold Coast United. With a major cash splash set to take place next season around the Coast, there is cause for concern for United. With no permanent home and an inability to hold on to top players, it may only be a matter of time before the curtain falls. Is it already halfway down?

WRAPPING UP THE TITLE

Knights have been crowned men’s Premier League champions for the secondstraight year. The last time a team went back to back was Burleigh in 06-07. Although the Bulldogs “pushed” the Knights this year, was this all just a formality and expected to happen before the year even kicked off? With the squad they formed, you could potentially call this side the most expensive in Coast history. Expected!

WOES FOR TEAM NO.8

Eight teams is a must for the league because the quality is just not there. Tweed and Mudgeeraba, who were first and second in the Coast League last season, have struggled, so what chance do Musgrave and Southport have? If you managed to check out the Sniper’s Game Pick from last week, they have no chance if they get there in 2019.