Tipaldo tips plenty of goals in 2021
Rivals beware … Suns reveal a new, improved Rowell
THE lofty standards of the Gold Coast Knights have already rubbed off on young gun Cai Tipaldo.
The 22-year-old forward ended the 2020 NPL Queensland season as one of the premier goalscorers in the competition; 13 goals in 23 games was good for fifth-best in the state league – but Tipaldo wants more.
Returning to the Knights, where he played a handful of senior games in 2019, the Brisbane Roar Youth and Newcastle Jets Youth product has set his sights on winning the golden boot race.
“Last season I was up there in the fop four of the golden boot race for most of the season until the end,” said Tipaldo, who moved from Roar Youth in the off-season.
“This year, we have a very experienced team around me, so I think I can score more than last year.
“I’m aiming to be up there in the race for the golden boot every year. I’ve always scored goals and I want to continue to score goals.
“I don’t have a maximum or minimum. I just want to help the team how I can, and that’s by scoring goals.”
The Knights found the back of the net 57 times last season, second only to Lions for most goals in the competition, led by
Jheison Macuace (15 goals) and Harrison Sawyer (15).
Sawyer has since departed for the NPL Victoria but Macuace remains and is joined by Tipaldo and former Peninsula Power goalsneak Marek Madle to form a potent goalscoring triumvirate.
Madle managed just four goals for Power last season but in 2019 bagged 20 with the ions. If he can recapture his form of two seasons ago, the Knights will boast perhaps the most dangerous attack in Queensland.
“With the way (coach Adem) Poric wants us to play, it’s going to be quite direct,” Tipaldo said.
“We’re definitely going to have a lot of exciting games this year in terms of attacking football. We’re expecting a lot of goals and a lot of goalscoring opportunities.”
The Knights finished third last season and bowed out in a 2-1 loss to Olympic at the semifinal stage. For many clubs such a season would be cause for celebration but at the Knights, it ultimately ended short of their expectations.
Tipaldo has embraced the drive for competitive excellence since returning to the Knights.
“Adem has the drive to win and be successful and I think that’s an overall club culture thing,” he said.
“It comes from the players, the staff and everyone above that. We want to win not only the grand final but the league as well.
“In our first year in the NPL we won the grand final and nearly won the league – we want both, that’s our goal.”
The Knights open their NPL Queensland campaign away to fellow premiership aspirants Lions FC.
“It’s probably the perfect game to start off, to be honest. If we win that we’ll have a heap of confidence to continue from there,” Tipaldo said.
“We’re not afraid of anyone. We’re up for anything this year. We have some of the best players in the NPL and everyone is excited for what we can do this season.”
Tipaldo will miss the Lions match as he serves the second of a two-game suspension carried over from a red card last season.
SUNS young gun Matt Rowell says he still has something to prove going into his second AFL season and believes one key growth area can make it happen in 2021.
The much-hyped No.1 draft pick has put rivals on notice, declaring a pre-season spent strengthening his legs will make him even more potent in Gold Coast’s engine room.
Rowell sent the AFL world into a frenzy at the start of 2020 after earning nine Brownlow votes in the first five games of his career while dominating elite and seasoned opposition players.
It all came crashing down when he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury against Geelong in Round 5.
The 19-year-old said he was determined to show he could produce the same form across an entire season, revealing a focus on bulking up the lower half of his body would improve his ability to win the contested ball and keep it.
“For me it’s all about having a strong, consistent year and showing people that I can do it for a full season,” Rowell said.
“I had a few good games and was happy with them and now I want to be able to do it for a full season.
“I took a more holistic approach to my shoulder rehab. I focused a lot on my legs in the gym. Hopefully that will pay dividends this season.
“I feel stronger physically in my lower body.
“It’s important on the inside as a midfielder to have a strong base and I have improved in that aspect.”
The added strength will also allow Rowell to handle the increased attention he expects to get from rivals who started to target him in the last few games of his shortened 2020 season.
“I’ll be prepared for it. I’m not focusing on getting any more attention to be honest,” he said.
“I’m going out there and playing my natural game.
“It doesn’t affect me too much if someone comes to me, I’ll be ready.
Rowell played the first two quarters of Gold Coast’s scratch match against Brisbane last weekend and will be unleashed for around three if everything continues tracking well when