QAFL’S CHANGE

COAST REACTS TO LEAGUE TWEAK

GOLD Coast QAFL clubs have welcomed the introduction of Saturday night games and have called on the league to expand the idea further beyond 2019.

Labrador will host Surfers Paradise in Round 11 at Cooke-Murphy Oval next season in what will be the first Saturday night game on the Coast since the QAFL reformed

in 2014. Demons coach Brad Moore said trialling fixtures outside of the standard 2pm timeslot was a good move by AFL Queensland officials and hoped to see Friday night matches introduced in the future.

“It’s going to be interesting to see how it goes,” he said.

“With our weather here it’s made for night time football. I actually wouldn’t mind seeing if we are able to play Friday night games for the seniors and then maybe the following day just have the colts and reserves play.”

Labrador coach Liam Burke hoped it would bring bigger crowds to local games.

“Anything that increases the exposure or allows different people to get there at different times is good for the competition,” he said.

The night game is part of a host of changes AFLQ have made for 2019, including another Saturday night game

and three at twilight.

Wilston Grange and Western Magpies will play in the competition’s first Good Friday game on April 19 while there will also be a QAFLNEAFL double header involving Brisbane clubs in Round 10.

Burke said the Tigers were well placed for 2019 with a schedule that will ensure his players have timely rest.

Labrador will have a break over the Easter weekend, the week of the representative game, scheduled for Saturday, June 8, as well as Round 12 and 16 byes. “The spacing of our byes is great,” Burke said.

“We will be able to get good chunks of footy into us.”

Moore welcomed the challenge Surfers Paradise will face in their run into what he hopes will be a second straight finals appearance.

The Demons’ final three games will be against Mt Gravatt, Palm Beach Currumbin

and Western Magpies, all teams who either appeared in the 2018 finals series or just missed out.

Palm Beach Currumbin president Anne Cornish said the club secured their key requests for the draw.

“We wanted to avoid a first round bye like last season and wanted to Broadbeach (grand final replay) game so we can unfurl the flag,” Cornish said.

New Broadbeach Cats coach Beau Zorko said the Round 1 fixture against the Lions would be a test that could shape their season.

Every Coast club said they were curious to see the success of the Good Friday game.