Ball and All team dispels myth athletes don’t read the newspaper ahead of Gold Coast’s AFLW debut

IT’S taken years but as the Gold Coast Suns prepare for their historic AFL Women’s debut, the Ball and All team have finally dispelled the myth that athletes don’t read the newspaper.

IT’S taken years but the Ball and All team have finally dispelled the myth that athletes don’t read the newspaper.

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Journalists are forever told that sports stars don’t engage with any media coverage as a way to shield themselves from public scrutiny and instead focus on performance.

But given a tour of the Suns sparkling new AFLW change rooms last week, it was heartening to see every single one of the Bulletin’s AFLW countdown stories, profiling each player in the team ahead of Round 1 this afternoon, had been printed out and hung on the wall within the players’ inner sanctum.

SUNS’ BIGGEST FEAR AHEAD OF AFLW DEBUT

“There’s so much support you guys have given us and it’s been quite overwhelming actually,” said Suns forward Kate Surman.

“It’s so unusual as us as female athletes playing footy in Queensland.

“You’ll walk into the changeroom and see people reading their stories on the wall.

Gold Coast Suns players putting Gold Coast Bulletin newspapers up on their walls.

“I go down to the local coffee shop and read the paper there so I end up taking Snapchats and sending them to the girls.”

While Surman said the players loved the consistent coverage, they’ve also taken the chance to pay each other out.

Defender Lauren Ahrens acts as the Suns’ fine master and dishes out monetary punishment for any player who spends a bit too long on Media Street.

NEW PAIGE FOR PARKER

“If you get on the front page or the back page it’s a fine,” Surman said.

“One photo is OK if it’s your story but if you get anymore it’s a fine. A few girls don’t have much money left because of all the photos they’ve had published.”

Co-captains Sam Virgo and Leah Kaslar are said to be the players most out of pocket.

Surman said the players also enjoyed the chance to look back on their younger selves each day.