Matt Rowell excited to join Gold Coast as he reveals he enjoys gardening when away from footy
Most footy players like to play video games or play a round of golf in their spare time. Not No.1 draft pick Matt Rowell. The new Gold Coast Sun reveals he prefers a very low-key past time.
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An alpha male on the field. An avid gardener, Veronicas fan and collector of Sherrins off the field.
Gold Coast’s No.1 draft pick Matthew Rowell is not your typical 18-year-old footballer.
In the past week, Rowell’s playing style has been compared to Lions triple premiership captain and Brownlow Medallist Michael Voss, Geelong skipper Joel Selwood, Carlton star Patrick Cripps and prolific Brisbane ball-winner Lachie Neale.
Those four are – or were – midfielders with a ferocious and fearless attack on the ball. And plenty of skill to go with the relentless will to win.
They performed those heroics at the highest level while the flamed-hair Rowell dominated junior football for as long as anybody could remember.
Same alpha male mentality, just in a smaller pond. And all while listening to the Veronicas ‘Untouched’ as his pre-match pump-up song.
“It’s one of my favourite songs. I know it’s not ‘Eye of the Tiger’ but it’s a little different,’’ he laughs.
Rowell racked up eye-catching stats and highlight reel moments on the way to winning plenty of premiership and best-on-ground medals for his school, club and representative teams as well as earning All-Australian under-18 honours on two occasions.
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That’s why he was always going to be the No.1 pick at Marvel Stadium on Wednesday night.
Rowell said it was “very humbling” to have his game compared to some bona fide stars. But he strikes you as a grounded young man that is not going to get carried away by all the lofty praise and plaudits.
“I just want to work hard and make the most of this opportunity,’’ he said.
“It is a privilege to be on a list and play in the AFL. I don’t know about the comparisons but all I try to do is win contested ball and get outside too and work over my opponent.
“My family has been massive for me and have allowed me to be where I am today. They’ve sacrificed so much to get me to this stage.
“I couldn’t have asked for more support. They got a little emotional on draft night but they love that I’ll be doing something I love for a living.”
Suns senior coach Stuart Dew said Rowell and his best mate, No.2 draft pick and gun midfielder Noah Anderson are right in the mix for Round 1 next season given their mature body shapes and mindsets.
They both cannot wait to rip into pre-season training on Monday to win the respect of their new teammates and coaches and press their selection claims. They flew up to the Gold Coast on Saturday and will attend a club BBQ on Sunday.
After being drafted on Wednesday night, Rowell and Anderson attended a Suns function with their families. They were whisked to a Chapel Street tailor at 7am the next day to be fitted for suits and do a magazine photo shoot.
They then faced another media scrum outside AFL House where Rowell happily did interviews while spinning a Sherrin around in his hands. It was all the business of footy and he handled it with aplomb.
While some footballers play golf or computer games to unwind away from the game, Rowell enjoys getting his hands dirty.
“I just love getting out in the garden and getting outside when I have some downtime. I like growing all sorts of different things,’’ he said.
“It’s definitely a release for me outside of footy. You’ve got to have something like that because footy is so intense and you need something to take your mind off it from time to time.’’
As well as packing plenty of sunscreen for his move north, Rowell will also bring his collection of footballs which has swelled to 26 after the draft.
“The Gold Coast said I’ll be able to bring them up. I would have been pretty cut if they said I couldn’t,’’ he said.
“There’s a few that I’ve been given, I found a few that I played with and a bought a few along the way too. The one I’ll nab from the draft will be No.26.’’
The Suns have been the whipping boys of the AFL in recent times both on and off the field but Rowell heads to the Gold Coast with a sense of optimism buoyed further by a photo that did the rounds after the first night of the draft.
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It featured himself, Anderson and No.11 pick Sam Flanders along with the club’s three first round draft selections from last year – Ben King, Izak Rankine and Jack Lukosius – who have all extended their contracts at the Suns.
“It was pretty cool that those boys came down to the draft. It shows how much they care about the Suns,’’ Rowell said.
“It’s very encouraging that all those boys have signed – on for longer. It gives you confidence that they’ve gone up there and liked it so much, they wanted to stay and keep building something.
“It must be good there. Hopefully we can help make it better.’’
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