BUDDING SUPERSTAR
Suns’ No.1 gun matures into the AFL talent the club needs
IF Matt Rowell is feeling nervous before his Round 1 AFL debut then there is a fair chance you will find him in the garden at the property of Gold Coast Suns CEO Mark Evans.
Rowell is an avid gardener, using it as a meditation tool to relax, something that could be hard to do given he had been named to play his first premiership game in Gold Coast’s season-opener against
Port Adelaide today (6.40pm) at Metricon Stadium.
The No.1 draft pick and his teammate, No.2 pick Noah Anderson, are living with Evans and his wife Lynne who often take in young draftees to help them transition into life in the AFL in Queensland.
Rowell, 18, said gardening was an escape for him from football and something he developed a love for through his father.
“I am pretty invested in the footy side of it and don’t get away from it too much but you will see me in the garden a bit outside of footy,” Rowell (pictured) said. “I am an outdoors kind of person and my dad did it a lot when I was growing up so I just went out with him and I have kept doing it.
“It’s a bit relaxing for me as well. It takes my mind off things. I’m no expert, I just like watering and putting a few plants in.
“Mark has artificial turf out the back but there is a bit going on out the front. I have said if they need help with the lawns or plants then I’m their man.”
The midfielder pushed his case for Round 1 with strong performances in pre-season wins over Geelong and Adelaide. Now his boyhood dream is about to come true.
“It’s what you dream about as a kid coming up, to play in the AFL,” the Victorian said.
“Now I’m at the club, to get the chance to play is pretty exciting.”
Rowell’s life in football has been put under the microscope over the past two years, something he never really got used to as a teenager.
“It’s been weird at times,” Rowell said.
“Most 18-year-olds don’t have that going on. I didn’t look at it that much last year and I just focused on playing footy because that’s what I like doing the most.”
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