Tony Cochrane: Gold Coast Suns chairman’s most memorable moments at AFL club
Outgoing Gold Coast Suns chairman Tony Cochrane is famous for his often brutal sprays at those who have infuriated him, including politicians who are “boring everyone to death”.
Business
Don't miss out on the headlines from Business. Followed categories will be added to My News.
OUTGOING Gold Coast Suns chairman Tony Cochrane has never been short of passion for his city and team.
Through his near-seven year stint at the helm of the club and nine years on the board, he has gained national attention for his blunt and fiery comments, rivalries with fellow AFL bosses and his big visionary ideas. These are some of his greatest hits.
“BLINDSIDED”
Mr Cochrane’s tenure as the Suns chairman began under fiery circumstances when legendary Brisbane Lions coach Leigh Matthews declared there was no point in having two AFL teams in Queensland.
“Nothing will change that. The Suns might win premierships, that’s not the issue,” he said.
“I don’t think there is a demand for two teams in this part of the world.”
Mr Cochrane hit back: “We didn’t even know it was coming, it was a blindsided kick,’’ he said.
“It was a bit like knocking a bloke out from behind.
“I’ve only been in this role seven weeks and I can’t believe how often you have to defend yourself against your own in this sport, it’s quite interesting.”
He later said the comments were like “arrows in his back”.
THE WRONG GUY
Mr Cochrane blasted original suns coach Guy McKenna in 2016, declaring the club had made a mistake in appointing him.
“I think they (AFL) made some chronic errors and with great respect to our inaugural coach, there is no way we should have had a junior coach,” Cochrane said.
“One of the outstanding things they did in Sydney was putting Kevin Sheedy up there (at Greater Western Sydney) and Mark Williams for those first couple of years.
“That really would have helped enormously with what was a group of young boys. Let’s face it, 17 and 18- year-olds need enormous direction and purpose in life.
“And it’s just a shame the AFL didn’t make a similar decision up here and perhaps given us Leigh Matthews for those first couple of years.”
HARD BALL
Questions over the future of Gary Ablett’s tenure at the Suns were frequent through 2016 and 2017 during the final years of his career after he requested a trade back to Geelong.
Mr Cochrane made a bold prediction in late 2016: “Why would Gary want to leave a club that’s going to finish in the top four and have a real chance at having a shake at the big dance the following year?”.
Ablett left the club in 2017 and the Suns have never made the top four, let alone the grand final.
CHINA GAMES
Mr Cochrane was a key figure in the Suns playing two AFL games in China in 2017 and 2018, the first such events held in the nation.
But he got into a famous biff with his Port Adelaide counterpart David Koch after the Suns secured the right to wear their red home jerseys while the southern team had to wear their away kit. The colour red signifies good fortune in China.
Mr Koch threatened to tear up the agreement while Mr Cochrane insisted he would not “get into a stoush” over it.
“The AFL – not Koch – has full responsibility for the league calendar.”
“YOU’RE BORING EVERYONE TO DEATH”
Mr Cochrane has long been a firebrand in terms of his desire to see more happen on the Gold Coast.
In December 2018 he gave politicians of all stripes a belting for their lack of vision.
“You’re boring everyone to death while you keep the seat warm’’ and urges them to “vacate or get cracking’’.
“ITS AWESOME FOR THE GOLD COAST”
Covid-19 wrecked havoc on the AFL and other sporting fixtures through 2020, forcing seasons to be postponed for months.
Once competition resumed, Mr Cochrane was a key player in getting the AFL relocated to Queensland when Victoria spent much of that year in lockdown and helped secure semi-finals fixtures for the Gold Coast and the grand final for Brisbane.
“It’s awesome for the Gold Coast. It’s an enormous achievement for Metricon Stadium and AFL in Queensland more generally,” he said.
“NOT IN MY LIFETIME”
Mr Cochrane become public enemy Number 1 in Tasmania in 2021 when he led opposition to Tasmania getting its own AFL team.
“Not in my lifetime … It’s completely unrealistic,” he said.
“The emphasis must be, and I’m sorry for those people in Tasmania, in the next 10 to 15 years to consolidate the 18 teams that are already out there. We need to grow the competition from that base and get that right before we … try and expand again.”
“BLOODY MIRACLE”
A memorial moment came in mid-22 wen the Suns beat Richmond 94-92 with an after-the-siren goal from Noah Anderson in July 2022. Mr Cochrane was filmed jumping out of his seat in excitement just minutes after saying “If we win from here, it will be a bloody miracle.”
“IT’S DISAPPOINTING:"
Mr Cochrane was a critic of cashed-up southern AFL clubs luring away young talent like Izak Rankine away after the Suns spent years developing them.
“Yeah, I do,” he said in August 2022. “I think when you put the investment in with a young lad who’s 18, turns up, he’s unfortunately unfit to play in the first year, you give him a whole year to try to help get him right, you put a lot of work into turning him into an AFL footballer … so yeah. “It’s disappointing when that happens but it’s sport all over the world now. Somebody else with a bigger wallet comes along and makes it pretty hard.”
“THAT’S ME BEING POLITE”
Mr Cochrane found himself at loggerheads with the Brisbane Roar in October 2022 after a deal to relocate the Brisbane team’s training and operations to the Gold Coast fell through and left his club nearly $60,000 out of pocket for “outstanding rent”.
“We recognised from day one their proposal was a load of rubbish but we reluctantly went along with it and now we have been left high and dry with a bill for $60,000 and we are not happy to say the least – and that’s me being polite.”
More Coverage
Tech and resources high among this week’s experts’ share tips
Aussie mining, energy and technology stocks are on the radar of our share market tipsters. See their recommendations.
Surprise twist in future of Surfers Paradise shopping centre
A once-glamorous Surfers Paradise shopping centre will be transformed into a new development which is set to become a tourist magnet. FIND OUT MORE