Surf lifesaving: Why Matt Bevilacqua and Matt Poole’s move to Northcliffe shouldn’t be persecuted

Opinion: When the Bulletinrevealed this month Kurrawa ironmen Matt Poole and Matt Bevilacqua would be leaving the club and joining Northcliffe, I entertained two schools of thought.First up: Northcliffe is at it again.

NOW is not the time for loyalty.

Any other day and you’d catch me writing till the cows come home about the importance of devotion and allegiance but today is not like any other day.

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If you weren’t aware, we are in the middle of a global pandemic and if you weren’t aware of the consequences of a global pandemic, thousands have lost their jobs and livelihoods.

And sport, once considered elusive and untouchable, hasn’t been immune.

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So when the Bulletin revealed this month Kurrawa ironmen Matt Poole and Matt Bevilacqua would be leaving the club and joining Northcliffe, I entertained two schools of thought.

First up: Northcliffe is at it again.

The pulling power of Australia’s most successful club, and more likely a sizeable cheque, has landed two more big fish to join their already 10-strong squad of Nutri-Grain series stars.

Other clubs build them and Northcliffe buy them.

The Northcliffe surf club have recruited some big name athletes, Matt Bevilacqua (pictured) and Matt Poole, ahead of the 2020/21 sporting summer. Picture: Jerad Williams

But if you’re picturing Poole and Bevilacqua bathing in $100 notes, the reality is far from it.

The reality, which I quickly remembered, is that these blokes, and all surf lifesaving athletes, bust their guts for little reward.

Surf lifesaving is in a state of financial famine, not helped in the slightest by COVID-19.

Surf lifesavers are some of the fittest athletes in the world but can’t even call themselves professional because most are forced to work day jobs to supplement the little income they receive from the sport they dedicate their lives to.

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So why are we so quick to persecute those seeking greener pastures?

And now to Northcliffe.

There is a reason they are considered one of the, if not the best surf lifesaving club in Australia.

The Northcliffe surf club have recruited some big name athletes, Matt Bevilacqua and Matt Poole (pictured), ahead of the 2020/21 sporting summer. Picture: Jerad Williams

With the backing of loyal sponsors, Northcliffe invests heavily in surf sports - something it appears other clubs are struggling or no longer willing to do.

While some sit back and question surf lifesaving’s future, the maroon and white employ some of the best coaches, stage traditional events like the Shannon Eckstein Ironman Classic and travel around Australia to compete so is it really a surprise they attract Australia’s best?

Life is about seizing opportunity, and both blokes genuinely believe Northcliffe can help take them to the next level – which could very well see them pick up some more prize money and justify hours a week in the surf.

So, like I eventually did, scrape the surface a little…there’s two sides to every story.