PART 1: Real story behind the Blaze’s start

Scott Macgregor: The first ever game which was at the convention centre, I actually scored the first ever hoop for the team, it was of course a backboard touch. The city was totally behind us and reaching the playoffs in the first season was amazing. Seeing the kid’s enjoyment at the games was always special.

Anthony Petrie: Best location in Australia to play is Broadbeach, had a great feel and buzz to it.

The talent we had on the roster was immense, a lot of the younger guys went on to have great careers.

First year with Joey we made the finals which was such a buzz. Unfortunately, we had two starters out for the playoffs. I believe if we kept that nucleus, we would have some serious results.

FROM PARK FOOTY TO THE TITANS?

Dave Claxton: The game day. Aesthetically, it was one of the best stadiums in the country when it was all said and done.

We were very proud of the finished products, including the jumbo screen.

I had a lot to do with organising the imports for the team, which was very rewarding. I think when Joey Wright came, he brought in some great competitiveness and practice methods for the team. He did a great job.

James Harvey: Year one was one of the most rewarding experiences of my career.

We had a group of guys that came together, Pero Cameron at the end of his career was instrumental in bringing the group together.

To make the finals in the first year was exceptional.

I still remember driving through Surfers to get to Broadbeach to get to the stadium was pretty cool.

To be inaugural co-captain and take the Blaze to the playoffs and fill the stadium was a real high, seeing the people of the Gold Coast embrace the team was very rewarding.

Owen Tomlinson: It was always the kids in the crowd. There was so much passion in the community, I thought game days were fabulous. I still get a smile when I see someone walking around with a blaze jersey.

GOLD COAST SPORTING GOSSIP WITH THE SNIPER

What about the lows? What contributed to the fall of the program?

Dave: The Tomlinson family need to be lauded for the amount of time, money and effort they contributed towards the program. The NBL was struggling at the time, it was difficult to keep teams in the league, as so many clubs were losing money.

I disagree that the Gold Coast is a graveyard. You can look at Brisbane and see how many sporting franchises have gone under over the years as well. It is not easy in Australia to run a national sports competition.

James: The end obviously was tough. We had so much talent on that team, but guys like Goulding and Cadee had not reached their heights yet. We could have won a title with that group. Also losing to Perth in the semi final is something I look back on an opportunity that we missed.

HOW BORDER CLOSURE IS IMPACTING JUNIOR SPORT

Scott: I only played two seasons for the Blaze, which finished my career at that level. Luckily, I then finished my career playing for the Gold Coast Rollers QBL team for 7 great years and really enjoyed it. I have been the assistant coach for the last 2/3 years with the Rollers and love being involved with the juniors.

Anthony: The Tomlinson’s were left with such a big burden; I don’t agree with people finger pointing. I understand how expensive a team in the comp was back then.

Owen: The convention centre tried to do what they could for us. However even if we had 4500 in the crowd, we still had to pay them. Council had talked about the potential about the stadiums for the commonwealth games, but it was a long way away. Unfortunately, it was a financial decision for our family.

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