The Lions led by 31 points at halftime but went scoreless in the third quarter and managed just one goal in the second half, as Surfers surged home with a wet sail.
Ben McInneny’s fourth goal of the afternoon put Palm Beach back in front after the Demons had earlier hit the lead late in the fourth quarter, as both sides spurned multiple chances in a frenetic end-to-end final term.
The Lions kicked the first four goals of the contest and took an 18-point lead into quarter-time, which they extended to 31 points at the main break courtesy of a scintillating six-goal run.
Two late goals from free kicks helped gave Surfers some much-needed momentum heading into halftime and the Demons returned from the break breathing fire.
The Palm Beach backline spearheaded by ex-AFL star Liam Jones was put under all sorts of pressure as Surfers Paradise kicked 3.4 to the Lions’ no score; 10 points the difference at the last change.
Two quick goals to the Demons to start the fourth quarter handed the visitors a first lead of the afternoon, though McInneny immediately answered back for the Lions.
The two teams exchanged near-misses from there with Surfers looking the most likely team to score again, though ultimately ran out of time.
With four goals each Shea and McInneny were the hosts’ best, while Jones showed his AFL class down back. For the Dees, Nick Scott in his 50th game for the club impressed, Alex Stewart kicked an early goal of the season contender from the pocket and Harrison Fraser was his usual dominant self through the middle.
Elsewhere, both Broadbeach and Labrador opened their 2022 campaigns with a win.
The Cats unveiled the premiership flag at Subaru Oval with an 18-point win over Noosa, while the Tigers got revenge on last season’s preliminary final conquerors Maroochydore with a 75-point smashing on the road.
Palm Beach Currumbin 12.9-81 def Surfers Paradise 11.13-79 at Salk Oval
BEST
PBC: J. Shea, B. McInneny, L. Jones, T. Thynne
SP : H. Fraser, A. Stewart, A. Mitchell, J. Taylor
GOALS
PBC: J. Shea 4, B. McInneny 4, N. Crowley 2, E. Sekac 1, B. Stafford 1
SP: N. Scott 2, A. Stewart 2, T. Smith 2, C. Poharama 1, S. Hilton-Joyce 1, A. Mitchell 1, H. Fraser 1, D. Green 1
The road to the QAFL title looks to again run through the Gold Coast.
Palm Beach, Labrador and Broadbeach have recruited hundreds of games worth of AFL experience, while Surfers Paradise has quietly built a formidable state league roster.
The Glitter Strip owns six of the past seven QAFL premierships and it would be a brave man to bet against a Coast club being there in September once again.
Big Read: The biggest names to ever play in the QAFL
If you’re a footy fan who’s been living under a rock in the off-season, read on for a handy guide on what to expect from the four Gold Coast clubs ahead of season 2022.
PALM BEACH: Favourite sons come home as ex-Carlton star takes over the defence
The addition of Liam Jones to Palm Beach Currumbin’s back six rightly stole all the pre-season headlines but it’s the inclusion of two familiar faces that should have Lions fans expecting big things in season 2022.
Longtime best mates, Palm Beach juniors and two-time QAFL premiership players Tyler Cornish and Tom Thynne have returned from their single season sojourn down south to right the Lions’s wayward QAFL ship back to finals contention.
In Cornish’s words: “We’ll run the show in the middle”.
The midfield pairing that played a massive part in Palm Beach’s 2017 and 2018 grand final wins is back after a season at Wangaratta Rovers in the highly competitive Ovens & Murray Football Netball League.
Without the talented tandem running through the middle the Lions struggled last season, finishing eighth and missing finals for the first time since 2015.
“Not making finals last year is well below-par for Palm Beach,” Cornish said.
“To sit here and say we want to make finals is obvious, but we’re aiming for a flag like we always are.
“Anything short of that I personally, and the club as well, would be disappointing. That’s our ultimate goal. If we can’t do that we have more work to do.”
After a year away from the club the 26 year old is relishing a new leadership role alongside skipper Thynne, as the Lions navigate new waters with an exciting crop of young talent coming through the ranks.
Young defender Harry Day is running “AFL times” in fitness testing and is expected to thrive in the Lions’ back six under the tutelage of Jones, while new recruits Brad Stafford and Cameron O’Leary have turned heads in pre-season.
But Jones is the headline maker and for good reason, Cornish says.
“The way he goes about it you can tell he’s worked at an elite level,” Cornish said.
“He comes in with a high footy IQ and knowledge of the game that really resonates with the boys. He’s gotten the respect of them straight away.
“He’s also probably in his prime which is a key point. A lot of ex-AFL players have played in the QAFL before, but I don’t know many that have played at the peak of their powers. It’s heartbreaking for him the situation he was put in but I couldn’t speak more highly of the guy.”
Palm Beach opens its 2022 QAFL campaign at home to Surfers Paradise in a 2019 grand final rematch that promises to be a blockbuster Gold Coast derby with plenty of interest.
LAST SEASON: 8th (6 wins, 7 losses 84.9%)
OPENING MONTH: Surfers Paradise (Home), Morningside (Away), Mt Gravatt (Home), Labrador (Away)
KEY INS: Liam Jones (Carlton), Tyler Cornish (Wangaratta Rovers), Tom Thynne (Wangaratta Rovers), Brad Stafford (Mt Gambier)
KEY OUTS: John Croad (Sorrento)
BROADBEACH: Suns legend links with premiers, skipper ready to run it back
It’s not often a premiership-winning captain, reigning team of the season defender and club great is not the man calling the shots.
But when the bloke lining up on the opposite flank is a 262-game former AFL star, ego quickly goes out the window.
As one of the best and most experienced defenders in the league, much-loved Broadbeach skipper Josh Searl has the respect of the QAFL community and especially those at the Cattery.
But he is happy to concede the defensive general role to incoming ex-Gold Coast AFL star Jarrod Harbrow if it means getting to play alongside the Suns’ club legend.
“I think if he says something I’ll be listening – I think he has a few more credits in the bank (than I do),” laughed Searl.
“It’s been pretty good having him next to us (down back) that’s for sure. He’s been awesome, he’s hardly missed a training session. He doesn’t say a lot but when he does everyone certainly listens.”
There were questions as to whether the Searl would call time on his career after finally getting his maiden senior flag with Broadbeach last season. But the running defender said retirement was never a consideration, especially after tasting premiership success.
The Cats are again one of the major flag fancies in 2022 having retained the bulk of their premiership roster, with the retirement of Tyrone Armitage perhaps the only major out.
One major inclusion is ex-Western Bulldogs defender Brad Lynch who played VFL at Southport last season and is expected to play a rebounding defensive role and run through the midfield for Broadbeach.
But footy is all about kicking goals and the Cats return two of the QAFL’s most dominant forwards in reigning Grogan Medallist Jordan Moncrieff and his new-found partner in crime, Brad Lowe.
Lowe’s late-season return from a knee injury powered Broadbeach’s finals campaign and his clutch goals in the grand final win over Maroochydore cemented just how crucial he is to the team’s make-up.
From midfield bull to forward 50 match-up headache, Lowe looms as a difference maker for the Cats as teams blueprint to stop the dominance of Moncrieff.
“(Lowe) is a really hard match-up because he’s probably too quick for the bigger guys but for the smaller guys, he’s too big,” Searl said.
“Obviously playing down back I match up on him at training and let me tell you, it’s not fun.”
Broadbeach will continue its blueprint of blooding up and coming young talent into the senior side this season – the same approach that netted the club its first flag in 25 years last season.
With its core group retained and that elusive premiership secured, the Cats again loom as a major title threat in 2022.
Broadbeach welcomes Noosa to Mermaid Waters on Saturday for the opening round of the 2022 QAFL season.
LAST SEASON: Premiership (10 wins, 3 losses 176.26%)
OPENING MONTH: Noosa (Home), Labrador (Away), Redland-Victoria Point (Away), Surfers Paradise (Home)
KEY INS: Brad Lynch (Southport), Jarrod Harbrow (Gold Coast Suns)
KEY OUTS: Tyrone Armitage (Retired)
SURFERS PARADISE: Demons quietly add quality to combat rivals’ big-name signings
Surfers Paradise coach Brad Moore has watched rival Gold Coast clubs enter the big-name ex-AFL arms race over the off-season with interest as the Glitter Strip launches an all-out assault on the 2022 QAFL premiership.
Palm Beach Currumbin, Broadbeach and Labrador have all welcomed in hundreds of games worth of AFL experience in the off-season while Moore, a 2019 premiership-winning coach, hit the phones in search of the not-so household names that he hopes can move the Demons’ needle toward a finals appearance once again.
“We have a few recruits we’re happy to have, though in regards to the AFL-standard players that most other clubs have been able to attract unfortunately we haven’t been able to do that ourselves,” Moore said.
“It’s great for the QAFL to see these guys here and maybe one day we’ll be able to attract (players of that pedigree) to our club.”
But as the old adage goes, a champion team will always beat a team of champions. It’s with that in mind that Moore has built a list he believes can return Surfers Paradise to the finals after an under-the-radar fourth-place finish last season.
Premiership-winning key forward Dan Green has come out of retirement to spearhead the Demons’ goalkicking stocks once again and will be joined by ex-Sherwood and Morningside big man Alex Mitchell for a towering tandem that when firing will stretch defences thin.
Key defensive post Alby Jones is fully fit after an injury-plagued 2021 campaign and will be crucial to the Demons’ back six set-up, particularly early in the season with skipper Brody Haberfield not expected back until after Easter.
The engine room will receive a shake-up with Geelong Football League duo Riley Hayden and Sam Scott joining the club from Leopold Lions, while Moore is ready to heap more responsibility on the young shoulders of Sam Hilton-Joyce.
The 19 year old signed a VFL contract with Southport in the off-season but will be at the Demons’ service often this year, much to Moore’s delight.
“In 2019 we brought him in as a 16 year old and he kicked six goals against Broadbeach – that’s the quality he has,” the coach said.
“He’ll probably find himself playing a midfield-forward role for us this season.”
In all the Demons have strengthened the side that made finals in 2021 and Moore is happy to fly under the radar.
One team that won’t take Surfers lightly is the team it defeated in the 2019 QAFL grand final, Palm Beach, whom hosts the Demons in the opening round on Saturday.
The Lions have bolstered their midfield stocks with the return of Tom Thynne and Tyler Cornish, making for an intriguing battle in the middle between two Coast clubs who in recent years have played second fiddle to Labrador and Broadbeach.
“It will be a massive test first-up – Palm Beach at Palm Beach is always difficult to play against,” Moore said.
“They’re probably stronger than last year, but behind the scenes we feel we’ve put together a squad that can play quite well also.”
LAST SEASON: 4th (9 wins, 5 losses 119.35%)
OPENING MONTH: Palm Beach Currumbin (Away), Maroochydore (Home), Labrador (Home), Broadbeach (Away)
KEY INS: Riley Hayden (Leopold Lions), Sam Scott (Leopold Lions)
KEY OUTS: Jack Wingrave (Season off)
LABRADOR: Tigers’ spine boasts AFL experience at every level
Labrador won’t have to wait long to exorcise the demons of its straight-sets QAFL finals exit of last year, with post-season conquerors Maroochydore and Broadbeach ready and waiting to run it back in the opening fortnight of season 2022.
Under the guidance of master coach Nick Malceski the Tigers went from one-win wooden spooners in 2020 to minor premiers the following season. But the wheels fell off when the whips were cracking.
A narrow loss to Broadbeach in the first final, followed by a heartbreaking defeat to Maroochydore after leading by five goals in the fourth term, punctuated a deflating end to a breakout season.
Bryce Retzlaff was tempted out of retirement by Malceski to help the Tigers chase another flag and after the disappointment of last season the skipper still has the fire in his eyes.
Another off-season of sweeping changes hit Cooke-Murphy Oval with the likes of Cooper Anderson, Pearce Hanley, Andy Hollis and Dylan Fyfe all departing.
But the Tigers have more than filled the void, adding a trio of ex-AFL stars in Lachie Henderson, Cam Ellis-Yolmen and Andrew Boston to the fold.
Gold Coaster Boston, who last year captained Southport in its maiden VFL campaign, will co-captain alongside Retzlaff and the big man might just be the happiest key forward in the competition right now.
“We have a really good relationship straight away, being friends prior (to Boston joining Labrador),” Retzlaff said.
“He’s a great communicator and selfless player in how he goes about it.”
Boston and Ellis-Yolman will bolster an already potent Labrador midfield, with Henderson now the general down back creating arguably the best spine in the competition with Retzlaff and Jake Goldsmith up forward.
“The biggest thing I’ve noticed with them (the ex-AFL players) is it’s not about them at all. They couldn’t be more bought-in to the team environment,” Retzlaff said.
“When you come back to this level of footy it becomes quite enjoyable. At the top it can start to feel more like a job, so for these lads now they’ve come back and rekindled their love of footy a little bit.”
But for all the big-name ins Retzlaff remains steadfast that the club’s most important signing of the past two seasons is the man moving the magnets.
“Malceski is the key pillar. He steers the ship, has really strong standards and makes sure we operate between the lines,” Retzlaff said.
“(Last season) in the moment was devastating because you didn’t make it through, but once you remove yourself from it and look back, you realise we went from one win the year before to finishing on top. Our Reserves and Colts won the grand final.
“It was a hugely successful year for the club. For Mal to come in and have such an impact in such a short time with a whole new group I think was impressive.”
With another off-season to implement his system, and further growth of a talent-rich Colts team that went unbeaten in 2021, Malceski has a deep list and hungry playing group ready to go one-better in 2022.
LAST SEASON: 1st (11 wins, 3 losses 135.82%)
OPENING MONTH: Maroochydore (Away), Broadbeach (Home), Surfers Paradise (Away), Palm Beach Currumbin (Home)
KEY INS: Andrew Boston (Southport), Lachie Henderson (Geelong), Cam Ellis-Yolmen (Brisbane Lions)
KEY OUTS: Pearce Hanley (Retired), Andy Hollis, Dylan Fyfe (Tasmania)
Updates
Palm Beach Currumbin 12.9-81 (J Shea 4, B McInneny 4, N Crowley 2, E Sekac, ??? goals) def. Surfers Paradise 11.13-79 (N Scott, D Green 2, A Stewart 2, T Smith 2, C Poharama, ???, ??? goals)
BEST:
PBC: Jamison Shea, Ben McInneny, Liam Jones, Thomas Thynne
SURFERS: Harrison Fraser, Anthony Stewart, Alex Mitchell, Jack Taylor
A game that looked to be all Palm Beach to halftime suddenly became a contest after Surfers piled on seven straight goals to take the lead early in the fourth quarter. The late goal to Ben McInneny – PBC's only goal of the second half – ultimately enough to get them over the line.
That concludes today's live blog. Thanks to all for following along this afternoon.
Immediate reply from the Lions, who finally hit up a target inside 50 for a set shot and McInneny kicks true. PBC's first goal of the half comes 15 minutes from full time.
PBC 12.8-80
Surfers 11.10-76
Dees hit the front! Hard to tell who it was with the running bomb from 40m, because he's immediately swamped by his teammates.
PBC 11.8-74
Surfers 11.10-76
Nick Reibelt with a costly miss for PBC. Under pressure running inside 50 he steadies and kick fades across the face. Lions have had a few chances that they've let go begging. Pressure starting to build.
Dees back within 5 points! Dan Green slots it from the pocket and the visiting crowd goes ballistic.
PBC 11.6-72
Surfers 10.7-67
Back out there for the final quarter. Both sides with early chance but no major just yet. PBC leads by 10 points.
Palm Beach Currumbin 11.4-70 (J Shea 4, B McInneny 3, N Crowley 2, E Sekac, ??? goals) lead Surfers Paradise 9.7-61 (N Scott, D Green, A Stewart 2, T Smith 2, C Poharama, S Hilton-Joyce, ??? goals) at Salk Oval
Incredible quarter from the Dees, to pile on 22 points while keeping PBC scoreless and suddenly it's a nine-point ball game. The Lions backline which launched all its scoring chains and had so much time in the first half was put under immense pressure in the third term. Is it fitness? Dees are running over the ground and the Lions can't get out of second gear.
Dees kick three on the trot and they're back within 10 points! Tom Smith with his second of the day and the Dees are rolling.
PBC 11.4-70
9.6-60
Dees dominating this quarter and finally get reward for effort with Hilton-Joyce bobbing up for an important goal. Margin back to 17 points, 15 minutes to play third term.
PBC: 11.4-70
Surfers 8.5-53
Someone forgot to tell Surfers that Liam Jones is a handy intercept marker. He must be close to 10 by now and we've still got 24 minutes to go in the third quarter.
