Gold Coast QAFL clubs Broadbeach, PBC, Surfers Paradise, Labrador top 50 players ranked
Former AFL stars joining the league and local legends extending their stellar careers are among the top 50 Gold Coast players in the QAFL. SEE THE LIST AND VOTE FOR YOUR NUMBER ONE HERE
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THOSE in the know believe the 2022 QAFL competition could well be the strongest yet - and as it has for the past decade, the road to the premiership looks to run through the Gold Coast.
Hundreds of games worth of AFL talent will grace the field across the four Gold Coast clubs and beyond that, the playing lists are as deep as ever.
We have combed through the squad lists of each Gold Coast QAFL club and ranked the best players in action this season - the ones you want on your team when the whips are cracking in September.
1. Lachie Henderson
Labrador (Forward/Defender)
With 206 AFL games under his belt, Henderson is going to boost an already powerful Tigers outfit.
Boasting the versatility to play back or forward, the former Cat, Blue and Lion will be more than a handful for the opposition.
Standing just under 200cm and only recently retiring from the AFL, Henderson is going to be one to watch this season.
2. Liam Jones
Palm Beach Currumbin (Defender)
Plenty of ex-AFL players have graced the QAFL in years gone by, but few if any at the peak of their powers. Jones joins Palm Beach after his shock AFL retirement due to the league’s Covid Vaccine mandates and his presence as a playing-coach immediatley makes the Lions a force this season. His intercept marking and reading of the play will force rival teams to find unique avenues to goal this season.
3. Jarrod Harbrow
Broadbeach (Defender)
He’s no guarantee to play but if the 262-gamer for the Western Bulldogs and Gold Coast pulls on the blue and white hoops for Broadbeach it’ll be one to watch.
Harbrow has signed with the Cats for the 2022 season as the development & pathways coach and club ambassador.
He told the Bulletin in February he will be reluctant to take a younger member’s spot in the senior side but he didn’t rule out playing.
4. Cam Ellis-Yolmen
Labrador (Midfielder)
Still only 29, Ellis-Yolmen was moved to the Brisbane Lions inactive list following his decision not to comply with the AFL’s Covid vaccination requirements.
Fit and firing, the former Adelaide Crow who has 48 AFL games under his belt will light up games across the QAFL this season.
5. Andrew Boston
Labrador (Forward/Midfielder)
Boston has a stellar CV to his name. He managed 16 games for the Gold Coast Suns in three seasons before retiring in 2015 at only 21.
The smaller framed Boston then led the Southport Sharks, where he captained a premiership and earned two Doc MacKenzie medals as the club’s best and fairest.
He also has two NEAFL team of the year honours to his name.
6. Jordan Moncrieff
Broadbeach (Forward)
‘The Mayor’ was the catalyst behind his side breaking its 25-year senior premiership drought last season.
The towering tall broke the back of Maroochydore’s grand final resistance in last year’s premiership quarter with his clutch goals.
The key forward had a stellar season leading the league’s goalkicking tally with 61 goals and earning the best & fairest honours for the QAFL in the process.
7. Brody Haberfield
Surfers Paradise (Defender/Forward)
The captain of the club made the move from defence to the forward line last season.
His booming boot helped him kick 28 goals for the season and bring a spark to the Dees.
Haberfield will be a pivotal part if the Dees are to climb to the lofty heights of their 2019 premiership success.
8. Max Lower
Broadbeach (Midfielder)
The 2020 club best and fairest had another great season in 2021, finishing runner-up in the award.
The midfielder will have more help this year in the Cats’ already strong on-ball brigade.
If the Cats make the grand final, look out for Lower who proved with his 34-possession match last year he loves the big game.
9. Tom Simpson
Labrador (Midfielder)
Simpson’s first season at Tiger land was a successful one.
His tough in-and-under approach earned him the respect of his teammates and the league quickly.
The on-baller took out the club’s best and fairest and was in the midfield in the QAFL team of the year.
10. Matt Green
Surfers Paradise (Ruck/Forward)
Green is a legend at Surfers Paradise and his ability to be thrown into the ruck or forward makes him an important player for the Dees.
His experience and attack on the football in the air and on the ground make him a beloved teammate. Green finished runner-up in the J.A. Grogan Medal behind Broadbeach forward Jordan Moncrieff last season.
11. Nick Hay
Surfers Paradise (Defender)
The big body backman proved to be a very handy recruit for the Dees last season.
Coming over from Subiaco in Western Australia, the 190cm-plus backman freed Haberfield to go forward, giving the Dees a fresh look.
Hay has been included in the Demons’ leadership group for 2022 demonstrating how quickly he’s made an impact at the club.
12. Bryce Retzlaff
Labrador (Forward)
The centre-half forward was his side’s leading goal kicker last season and earned his spot in the team of the year.
Retzlaff kicked 30 goals in 14 games to finish fourth on the league’s goal kickers list.
His ability to turn a game on its head was proved with a seven-goal haul against Palm Beach Currumbin and a six-goal bag against Wilston Grange last season.
13. Jamison Shea
Palm Beach Currumbin (Midfielder)
Shea joins the Lions full-time this season after splitting time with Southport in 2021. The skilful midfielder is one of the best outside runners in the competition and importantly loves to get forward and contribute on the scoreboard, as evidenced by his four goals against Surfers Paradies in the opening round of the 2022 season.
14. Thomas Thynne
Palm Beach Currumbin (Midfielder)
Returns to the Lions alongside Tyler Cornish to immediatley boost the club’s midfield stocks. Thynne was a shock best and fairest winner for Wangaratta Rovers in his first and only season at the club in 2021 and his presence alongside Cornish in the Lions’ midfield immediately elevates it into the top tier of engine rooms in the QAFL. Thynne immediately stepped into the club captaincy role, vacated by his brother Stephen Thynne who retired at the end of last season.
15. Blake Erickson
Broadbeach (Defender)
Erickson is becoming a club legend at the Cattery, already being named in Broadbeach’s best team of the last half century.
He won the Grogan Medal in 2018 and has been in the side’s leadership group for the last few years, including being vice-captain of the premiership team in 2021.
16. Brad Lynch
Broadbeach (Midfielder)
The former Western Bulldog is joining the Cattery for the 2022 season. His nine-game AFL career over three seasons was followed by a stint at the Southport Sharks in the VFL last season.
Lynch has already impressed the Cats with his leadership skills and has been named in its leadership group.
17. Tyler Cornish
Palm Beach Currumbin (Midfielder)
Cornish returns home to Palm Beach Currumbin after a year away playing in the Ovens & Murray Football League in northern Victoria. One of the most well known and respected Gold Coast products in the QAFL, Cornish’s contested ball work through the middle of the ground will be a feature to the Lions’ game this season. He also played a game for Essendon in the VFL against Southport last season as a top-up player.
18. Jayden Young
Labrador (Defender)
Young can claim to be the best fullback in the competition.
He earned the title when he was named in the position for the team of the year last season off the back of a standout 2021.
His consistency and ability to stop his opponent also earned him a runner-up position in Labrador’s best and fairest.
19. Liam Nelson
Broadbeach (Defender)
He’s called Nugget by his teammates for a reason and Nelson’s best on ground performance in the 2021 grand final proved why.
The tough backman topped off a consistent year, earning him team of the year selection, to win the Joe Grant medal.
A leader at the club, he will look to get his team back to the big dance.
20. Jack Anthony
Palm Beach Currumbin (Forward)
He hasn’t appeared yet but the club remains hopeful the former AFL forward will feature again for the Lions in 2022.
Anthony is virtually unbeatable in one-on-one contests and has been among the leading goalkickers in the QAFL in recent seasons. A man who can win a game off his own boot.
21. Lucas Jellyman-Turner
Broadbeach (Defender)
A 2021 premiershp player with Broadbeach, Jelly-man Turner is a general down back. He is in the Cats leadership group and has just come from winning a premiership with St Mary’s in Darwin. Broadbeach didn’t lost any of the six games he played last year between a stint in Aspley’s VFL team and the time spent on the sidelines with a broken hand.
Jellyman-Turner is polished with ball in hand, quick and can play on both smalls and talls.
22. Kain Ford
Surfers Paradise (Midfielder)
Ford’s skills with the ball are the perfect combination for Surfers Paradise’s tough midfield.
Not afraid to get his hands dirty himself, Ford’s best work is done from the outside and if given space is dangerous by foot.
With Jack Prestegar missing 2022 for work commitments, Ford will be looking to step up his game this season.
23. Matt Doran
Surfers Paradise (Midfielder)
The best and fairest from the Dees will be hoping to crack into the Southport Sharks this season.
When the Tasmanian product isn’t running the wing for the Sharks, his skills will be on display for the Dees.
24. Ben McInneny
Palm Beach Currumbin (Forward)
Ben McInneny played a full season for the Lions in 2021 after joining from Sunshine Kangaroos in Melbourne’s Western Region Football League. After spending time with Southport in pre-season, he returns to the Lions fit and ready to fire as one of their key targets inside forward 50. He bagged four goals in the opening round win against Surfers Paradise including the crucial go-ahead goal late in the fourth quarter to stem the Demons’ comeback. Able to play tall and small, he’s an important cog in the Lions’ forward-50 set-up moving forward.
25. Sam Jasper
Broadbeach (Forward)
The goal sneak had a very consistent 2021 with the Cats finishing with 30 goals for the season.
He’ll look to pick up in 2022 where he left off last year, kicking two goals in a dominant fourth term in Broadbeach’s historic grand final win.
26. Christian Buykx-Smith
Labrador (Defender/Forward)
One third of the Traralgon trio, Buykx-Smith won a premiership at his Victorian local club before taking up a stint with Williamstown in the VFL.
He comes to the Gold Coast after recently playing with Bell Park in Geelong.
His ability to be thrown back or forward makes him an asset for the Tigers and a headache for the opposition.
27. Jackson Fisher
Broadbeach (Midfielder)
An important part of the Cats’ premiership side, Fisher’s move to the midfield last season paid dividends.
The 2019 club best and fairest winner has the ability to open the game up with his foot skills, demonstrated by his bomb from outside the 50m arc in last year’s grand final.
28. Jack Yelland
Surfers Paradise (Midfielder)
He’s the midfield bull who terrorises his opponents with his attack on the footy.
The former Victorian has been the star midfielder since joining the club in 2019 and continued his form last season.
Yelland’s performances earned him a spot in the QAFL team of the year last season.
29. Shayden Close
Labrador (Forward)
A dangerous small forward who can hit the scoreboard quickly and has the ability to apply very good pressure.
30. Jed Harrison
Palm Beach Currumbin (Ruck/Forward)
With John Croad’s departure the Lions’ ruck stocks immediately thinned. Enter Harrison, the club’s ruckman in the 2017 premiership year, who will again shoulder the tap work load in 2022. With familiar faces like Tyler Cornish and Tom Thynne at his feet, the Lions hope the trio can reprise their flag winning form this season.
31. Matt Lee
Labrador (Midfielder)
A player who can play a number of different roles and gives the midfield a different look when he goes into the center. Lee is a two-way runner who is tough to shut down.
32. Brandon Chadwick
Broadbeach (Midfielder/Forward)
Another member of the Cats premiership team, Chadwick was one of the most deserving.
The reliable midfielder proved he could be a threat up forward last season when he kicked five goals against Noosa in his 100th senior game for Broadbeach.
Entering his ninth season for the Cats, Chadwick will most likely spend more time in the forward half in 2022.
33. Daniel Charlesworth
Surfers Paradise (Defender)
The flying halfback is electric in the air and his intercept marking was a highlight for the Dees in 2021.
His efforts down back earned him a spot in the team of the year, one of only two Demons to earn a selection.
34. Cameron O’Leary
Palm Beach Currumbin (Midfield/Wing)
The speedy outside ball winner joins the Lions from the Bellarine League in Victoria and is expected to thrive in a Palm Beach Currumbin side that has recruited for a great balance of contested and uncontested ball winners. O’Leary loves to get forward and is a noted goalkicker which will be crucial in a high-scoring QAFL this season.
35. Charlie Lang
Labrador (Midfielder)
A player with a big tank and one of the Tigers best two-way runners.
Lang is extremely flexible and can play multiple positions.
36. Ryan Gilmore
Broadbeach (Forward/Defender)
The former Gold Coast Suns Academy and NEAFL player will be available to the Cats full-time this season after splitting games between Broadbeach and Southport in 2021. Able to play at either end of the field, his experience playing at a higher level makes him a valuable asset at the Cattery in 2022.
37. Jack Taylor
Surfers Paradise (Key Defender)
A man who flies under the radar. Taylor was best on ground in the 2019 QAFL grand final and is one of the most respected key defenders in the league.
38. Connor Ambler
Labrador (Midfielder)
Another Traralgon product, the on-baller comes to Tiger Land with lots of experience for a 24-year-old.
Ambler has had a couple of VFL seasons with Casey Demons and a stint with South Fremantle Bulldogs in the WAFL.
His ball winning ability will be a huge to an already impressive midfield at Labrador.
39. Nick Scott
Surfers Paradise (Defender)
The stalwart of the Dees backline was instrumental in the team’s 2019 success and will continue to lead the defence.
A key cog in the side’s ball movement that cut open opponents only three seasons ago, Scott and his fellow backmen will lead the charge if the Demons climb the ladder again.
He will be joined by his brother Sam, who has moved from Leopold in Geelong.
40. Alex Moloney
Broadbeach (Defender)
Joining the Cats halfway through the 2021 season due to border restrictions in his home state of Victoria, Moloney will go around again for Broadbeach.
The backman proved to be one of the best defenders in the league last season and will play an important role in his side defending its crown.
41. Thomas Reeves
Labrador (Forward)
One of only three Labrador players to play in every game last season, Reeves earned himself a spot on the Southport Sharks’ VFL Development list for 2022. He boasts Tasmanian State League pedigree having arrived at the club from the North Hobart Demons and is a serious threat around goals if given half a chance. With another year in Nick Malceski’s system it’s hoped Reeves can have a breakout season for the Tigers.
42. Josh Searl
Broadbeach (Defender)
The Cat’s premiership captain will embark on his 14th senior season for the club.
He may be getting long in the tooth but you don’t play 165 senior games and earn two club best and fairest without being a serious player.
Named as the captain of last year’s team of the year his leadership is pivotal to Broadbeach having a crack at back-to-back flags.
43. Jackson McMahon
Labrador (Midfielder)
The final member of the Traralgon trio at Labrador, McMahon will provide speed for the Tigers on the wing.
Following a season with VFL club Frankston Dolphins, the 24-year-old brings further professionalism to Tiger Land.
44. Harrison Fraser
Surfers Paradise (Midfielder)
The stocky onballer may not look it but he’s as silky as they come.
His ability to turn on a dime and slice through a team’s defence by foot makes him an asset for the Dees.
45. Bradley Lowe
Broadbeach (Midfielder/Forward)
If you opened a footy dictionary to ‘match-up nightmare’ the photo would be of Lowe. Traditionally a midfielder, Lowe went down with a knee injury early last season and returned for finals deployed as a forward. His hulking frame and speed means he can play small or tall and it was his goals in the second half of the grand final that helped propel Broadbeach to the flag. With a full pre-season under his belt, a fit and firing Lowe is a scaring proposition.
46. Sam Hilton-Joyce
Surfers Paradise (Forward)
The Dees leading goal kicker last season, Hilton-Joyce finished the year with 29 goals.
The small forward is still young and if he continues to improve at the rate of the last couple of seasons, he could become one of the most dangerous forwards in the competition.
47. Tom Smith
Surfers Paradise (Forward)
The athletic forward was able to string some impressive games together in 2021.
Smith finished the season with 22 goals, including a bag of five against Wilston Grange and four against Mt Gravatt.
48. James Gledhill
Broadbeach (Defender)
The full back stopped many of his opponents last season but Gledhill will need to lift his game with the inclusion of talent and teams to the QAFL.
However, they don’t come much tougher than Gledhill, who fought off a back fracture and knee injury to be a part of the Cats’ historic 2021 premiership-winning season.
49. Matthew Gahan
Palm Beach Currumbin (Defender)
Gahan managed just three games in 2021 but was named in the Lions’ best players on each occasion. A Dandenong Stingrays product, Gahan isn’t a massive accumulator of the ball but is damaging with his disposal. He is one of 10 players on Southport’s VFL Development list this season.
Sam Scott
Surfers Paradise (Midfielder)
Sam Scott reunites with brother Nick at Surfers Paradise this season. The midfielder joins from Leopold Lions in the highly competitive Geelong Football League, whom he captained for a number of seasons. Scott is a contested ball bull and will add some much-needed grunt through the middle of the ground.
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