SUN JUMPS TO SHARKS

Former Suns mentor out to lift Sharks in NEAFL

NEW Southport NEAFL coach Stephen Daniel believes he can make the Sharks competitive again but says he may need to look interstate to do it.

The former Suns NEAFL coach is the first assistant to leave the Gold Coast AFL setup in the wake of Rodney Eade’s sacking.

More are expected to follow him out the door in the coming fortnight to join clubs in other states. Daniel said it was a tough decision to leave the AFL club he has spent the past two seasons at, but ultimately it came down to job security.

Gold Coast are yet to finalise their football department review with CEO Mark Evans telling off contract coaching staff a decision on their future wouldn’t be made until a new senior coach was appointed. Something unlikely to happen until after the AFL grand final.

“It was a really tough decision and there were times when I wanted to stay at the Suns,” Daniel said.

“I thought do I stick it out at the Suns and hope I keep my job in four or five weeks time or take this opportunity now.

“I decided that Southport sharks is a really good opportunity for me and I really look forward to the challenge.”

Daniel has signed a twoyear deal at Southport and said his first priority was making the Sharks, who have struggled in recent years, one of the best non-AFL clubs in the NEAFL.

“My personal ambition is to get the club back to being competitive,” Daniel said.

Former Sharks coach Nathan Bock said his biggest challenge during his three-year tenure was attracting top players in an area where the Suns now tied up all the young local talent for their academy.

Daniel is working on a solution and said having the chance to build his own team again, after leading Gold Coast reserves, was important.

“You are going to have to try and recruit from somewhere else – we are going to have to go interstate,” he said.

“If the top four or five local kids are all playing at the Suns every week against you then you are going to have to look elsewhere.”

Daniel said that he would be approaching recently delisted Suns players including Mitch Hallahan, Keegan Brooksby and Ryan Davis about joining the Sharks.