Palm Beach Currumbin become the best football factory on the Gold Coast

It is fast becoming one of the best football factories in Australia for young talent with Palm Beach Currumbin having three players go in the 2023 AFL Draft in the first round. This is how it has turned into one of the country’s premier breeding grounds.

It is fast becoming one of the best football factories in Australia for young talent and leading figures at Palm Beach Currumbin have lifted the lid on why.

Lions products Jed Walter (pick 3), Ethan Read (pick 9) and Will Graham (pick 26) all were picked up by the Gold Coast Suns.

The Suns also picked up Broadbeach Cats’ Jake Rogers (pick 14) on a historical night for the club with four players from their Academy remaining in Queensland.

Former Palm Beach Currumbin president Anne Cornish said it was just incredible to see the boys go in the first round.

“We were told that all three of our boys were going to go in the first 30 picks, they were a bit unsure with Will but then his name got called out,” Cornish said.

Will Graham, Jed Walter and Ethan Read were picked up in the first round of the 2023 AFL draft, all three players coming from Palm Beach Currumbin Football Club. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

“It is amazing for our club but also for Broadbeach as well to have Jake (Rogers) picked.

“I think it shows just how far AFL has come in Queensland, the development of the game and the players.

“Super proud of the boys, I spoke to Will’s mum earlier today and she is just incredibly happy.

“We have a lot more young talent coming through for the draft in the next couple of years as well which everyone is just so excited for.”

It is not the first time the Lions have been represented in the AFL Draft, with Jesse Joyce (2015), Max Spencer (2016), Brad Scheer (2016), Jacob Dawson (2017) and Caleb Graham (2018) all being drafted from South East Queensland.

And the Suns are looking to the future already with the club eyeing off potential PBC Lions within the next two years.

“It sort of feels like we are a feeder club for the Suns, with the Academy as well and the other clubs in our region as well,” Cornish said.

“I know how happy the boys were to stay in Queensland, they would have gone anywhere don’t get me wrong.

“But to keep them here, that is where they wanted to stay, this is home for them.

“The Academy has been around for about 13-15 years and I have been at the Lions for about the same time.

“We have built that connection with the Suns and helped develop those players so they go to the Academy, then can be eligible for the draft as well.

“We want what is best for them, of course we would love them to stay at Palm Beach but we want those players to achieve their full potential.”

The Palm Beach Lions have been a successful club on the field across all senior and junior grades since its inception in 1957.

The Club has won thirteen premierships and has only finished outside the finals seven times in the last 57 years, playing in 15 of the last 20 grand finals, winning eight.

“It is the culture of the club that has helped it grow and develop over the years,” Cornish said.

“I can’t comment on what it was like before I arrived but I know when I was president, all the players were my boys.

“I looked after them like they were my own and that is how the club is run, it is a family environment.

“I am really looking forward to what happens with these three PBC boys next season and their footy careers.

“But also just as excited to see what prospects we have from our club going forward to get to the big stage.”