Decider will be in our backyard, Tiger predicts
LABRADOR captain Bryce Retzlaff says AFL Queensland officials may need to start planning for a southern venue for this year’s QAFL premiership decider with the forward predicting an all-Gold Coast finals series.
Retzlaff believes the top four will be made up of the TiBROADBEACH gers, premiers Palm Beach Currumbin, Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach in 2019.
Labrador were the only Coast side to miss out last year after three straight grand final appearances, winning two. The Tigers won four games in 2018 and finished seventh.
Yet the return of their best players from injury and astute recruiting has Retzlaff confident they will rise again.
“I expect Palm Beach Currumbin to be there again,” he said. “Broadbeach have a pretty young team coming through but picked up some good players and Surfers are a young team who keep developing.
“We were the only ones to miss out but we are confident internally we will return to finals footy.
“It would be ideal to have the Grogan Medal and grand final on the Gold Coast.”
The Tigers were hindered by injuries to key members of the side last year but Retzlaff said the return of Wayde Mills, Jayden Young, Jake Goldsmith and Billy Hicks was as good as any new recruit.
“We have the nucleus of a good side there and injected some high-end talent with a few new recruits,” Retzlaff said.
“The unknown is how we click as a team. A lot of our senior premiership players who were so influential throughout our successful period are back, the recruits are around them and we have strengthened up our midfield.
“We expect to be going deep into finals. Time will tell.”