Sandgate Hawks in shock withdrawal from QAFL comp

A club that was the leading AFL team in Queensland in the years before the rise of the Brisbane Bears will withdraw from the QAFL competition next year after a form slump.

Sandgate Hawks play Burleigh Heads. The club has withdrawn from the QAFL. Picture: Patria Jannides

The Sandgate Hawks Football Club will withdraw from the QAFL competition next year, its president Scott Albury said this morning in a shock announcement.

Mr Albury did not rule out a comeback, and hoped to field a side in the Friday night Division 3 competition next year, but said at this stage it could not meet the expectations of players who wanted to follow a QAFL pathway.

“After several challenging years on and off-field, the club has determined a reset of its senior men’s football program is required in order to re-establish a strong and sustainable program in the future,’’ he said.

Full Digital Access: 50% off for the first 12 weeks (conditions apply)

The club established in 1943, was a founding member of the QAFL and at its peak was one of the most successful in the competition, winning eight premierships in the QAFL/BAFL.

The Hawks were the leading AFL club in Queensland in the two decades before the Brisbane Bears burst on to the scene, regularly drawing crowds of more than 3000.

But it has been a decade of steady decline at Sandgate since they lost the grand final against Noosa in the defunct Pineapple Cup competition in 2010.

Since the QAFL was reorganised in 2014, the Hawks senior team has finished with the wooden spoon four times and second bottom twice.

In that time, they have won just 12 games and drawn two. They have lost 88.

They won just the two games in each of the 2018 and 2019 seasons.

The reserves have not fared much better, failing to win any games in the past two seasons. They also finished winless in 2016 and got the wooden spoon in five of the six seasons since 2014.

The Colts have had more success in those years, making the finals in 2014 but the past three seasons have been a challenge, even failing to field a team in 2018. Last season the under 18s won the wooden spoon, winning just the one match.

OTHER TOP STORIES

$9m road upgrade to make afternoon commute three seconds slower

Lime’s new feature to lure e-scooter riders

New fuel app promises big savings

“It was a difficult decision for the football club to make, but one that was in its best interests,’’ Mr Albury said.

“We appreciate the players and families who came to the club to follow the QAFL pathway, however at this stage we don’t feel like we are able to fulfil that obligation.

“We haven’t given up on returning to the QAFL in the future.

“For now, we need to move backwards to go forwards and this decision is in the best interests of the football club.’’

Mr Albury said the club recently upgraded its oval and dressing room and had transitioned from a gaming venue to a community-based football club.

The club planned to consolidate those changes before working on re-establishing itself.

“We want to thank the players and support staff who have kept us going the past few years in tough times, and for their continued support in the future,” he said.

Sandgate Hawks: The first senior team, in 1945.

AFL Queensland CEO Dean Warren said he was disappointed but supported the club’s shock move.

“This has been an incredibly difficult decision; however, it is one that will ensure the future growth and sustainability of the club,” Mr Warren said.

“Sandgate has a strong junior base and a talented Colts squad which we believe will hold the club in good stead to possibly return to the QAFL competition in the future.

“The club has also worked extremely hard off-field over the past two years to restructure its governance and upgrade its facilities.

“We are confident Sandgate FC’s foundations will continue to get stronger and for the club to play an important role in Brisbane’s northern suburbs.”

Sandgate will look to field a side in the Friday night Division 3 competition next year.

The club’s long list of greats includes Dick Verdon, Don Smith and John Stackpoole who were selected in AFL Queensland’s Team of the Century.

The Brisbane Lions Club ‘Most Professional Player’ award has been named after Don Smith.

Many of Queensland’s greatest footballers have played for Sandgate, with more than 10 being inducted into the Queensland Football Hall of Fame.

Former Brisbane Lions premiership ruckman, Jamie Charman, was a Sandgate junior before being drafted to the AFL. Jamie is the current No1 ticket holder at Sandgate Football Club.

Josh Wagner, currently with Melbourne Demons in the AFL, played some of his junior footy at Sandgate.

His father, Scott Wagner, was a 200-gamer for the Sandgate Football Club and was the inaugural captain of the Brisbane Bears development side. His grandfathers, Gary Wagner and Col “Skinny” Robinson, played in premiership sides for Sandgate, along with Gary being a member of AFL Queensland’s Hall of Fame.

The QAFL will remain a nine-team competition in 2020 after Maroochydore was announced as the league’s newest team earlier this year.

The season will consist of 16 home-and-away rounds with the fixture to be released in early 2020.