PLAN TO EXPAND AUSSIE RULES LEAGUE

Team from Sunshine Coast likely target for QAFL

AFL Queensland could expand the QAFL following calls for change from each of the clubs in the state league.

The current nine clubs have collectively requested the competition be extended to 10 teams to increase the season from 16 games to 18, erase the bye and alleviate the effects of breaks due to representative football.

AFL Queensland football operations manager Barry Gibson said the governing body supported the move.

“The view by clubs is that they want it to be a 10-team competition,” he said. “They were quite strong about that.

“It’s about the balance they get within the season. Currently they play everyone twice and the challenge is the team who gets the bye can be adversely affected.

“Last year we had a week off for representative footy and the team that had the bye the week before and the week after don’t play for a couple of weeks which makes it hard.”

The last time the QAFL was a 10-team competition was in 2016 before University of Queensland left before the 2017 season.

Gibson said there were no guarantees the QAFL would be a 10-team competition in 2019, with AFLQ not setting any timeline on expansion.

“There is a lot more that comes with it than just putting a team in,” Gibson said.

“We need to make sure we go through the appropriate process so we do it correctly.”

There are four Gold Coast and five Brisbane clubs in the QAFL and a Sunshine Coastbased team are the likely option for a 10th team for AFLQ.

“We have been quite candid that we think we lack a presence on the Sunshine Coast in the QAFL space,” Gibson said.

“Ultimately we would like a QAFL presence there but what that looks like is yet to be determined.”

Maroochydoore have a QWAFL team and a QAFL side would mean they are represented in both men’s and women’s top leagues.

But Gibson said AFLQ hadn’t targeted any clubs yet.

He said the challenge would be to get a competitive balance across the leagues and ensure promoting a club wouldn’t affect the competition it is coming from.

Sunshine Coast QFA division one clubs Noosa, Maroochydoore and Caloundra sit one to three on the ladder and their derbies attract big interest.

“The challenge for any of those clubs ... would be they lose the local rivalry,” Gibson said.