HIGH FIVES
MARK IT IN YOUR DIARY, COAST FOOTY FANS: THE DAY THE SUNS TURNED THE CORNER
THE Suns’ latest revolution is set to get supersized, with five of their top draft picks from 2019 close to inking contract extensions that could prove the making of the AFL club.
Noah Anderson, Sam Flanders, Connor Budarick and Jeremy Sharp look poised to become part of the longterm fabric of Gold Coast in a sign the club’s stocks are rising and the lure of bigger rivals is on the wane.
It follows reports No.1 draft pick Matt Rowell has agreed in principle to an extension until the end of 2023.
Talks between the group and their managers have been positive and it’s understood all will sign once the freeze on contract lodgements lifts, something unlikely to happen in the short term as the AFL mulls over changes to list sizes.
The freeze precludes clubs from finalising contract discussions but Gold Coast officials don’t predict any problems once they determine the finer details of new deals for the young group.
The timing of the news is particularly good for a Suns group buoyed by their pummelling of West Coast last week and the fact 2000 fans will be allowed to return to Metricon Stadium for tomorrow’s Round 3 clash with Adelaide. “Given we are not allowed to lodge contracts at the moment or enter into contract agreements, it makes it difficult (to finalise),” Suns CEO Mark Evans said. “We can discuss things with their agents and those conversations have been going well. “I’d be hopeful the AFL will tell us soon that there is date we can lodge contracts and hopefully we walk in and flood their desk.” Gold Coast have the bulk of their list locked away for the coming years, including the 2018 draft group of Izak Rankine, Jack
Lukosius, Ben King and Jez McLennan. The days of elite talent walking out on the club appear to be fading under the watchful eye of the club’s leading figures including Evans, chairman Tony Cochrane, coach Stuart Dew, who will likely finalise his own contract extension soon, and football manager Jon Haines.
The stability will further enhance Gold Coast’s ability to build on Dew’s game plan with a core group of players who he knows will be at the club for a prolonged period and finally produce the on-field results the club has craved.
PALM Beach Currumbin may have lost star signing and two-time AFL premiership winner Josh Hunt before he had even played a game.
The Lions wasted no time during the QAFL season shutdown, signing Hunt and Sunshine Kangaroos (Vic) player Ben McInneny to an already stacked list.
Hunt, 38, last played on the Gold Coast in 2015 when he won the Southport NEAFL team’s best and fairest award and was an assistant to Sharks coach Nathan Bock.
He became Brisbane Lions academy coach in 2016 and was set to ply his trade in the QAFL this year before he was reinstated by that club in an AFL game-day role.
Hunt, who won AFL premierships with Geelong in 2007 and 2011, trained with Palm Beach Currumbin earlier this month.
The defender had signed on to play and potentially take up a role as an assistant coach but now might not take to the field at all.
The AFL’s strict COVID19 protocol means players and coaches will be made to limit their contact with the general public to avoid any outbreaks and further disruptions to the season.
“On one hand, we signed him and were really excited to have him but then on the other, we very quickly lost him because he had to take on a role with the (Brisbane) Lions,” PBC coach Jess Sinclair said.
“He trained with us for about a week but for obvious reasons could no longer commit.
“He could still be a chance to play for us if restrictions ease but it’s a wait and see.”