Gold Coast Suns player Rhys Nicholls fined and suspended for betting on AFL games
The AFL has fined and suspended a Gold Coast Suns player for betting on games, including six his club was involved in.
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GOLD Coast Suns player Rhys Nicholls has been suspended for two games and fined $5000 for betting on AFL games.
The AFL has revealed 10 bets were placed on AFL games across the 2021 season in Nicholls name, including six on Suns games that he did not play in.
Nicholls maintains he wasn’t the one physically placing the bets.
“The bet stakes across the 10 games totalled $256. All bets were unsuccessful,” a statement from the AFL read.
“The AFL’s integrity unit interviewed Nicholls, who was cooperative and forthright when interviewed by the integrity unit. The investigation concluded that the bets were made on “Nicholls account and further there was no evidence to suggest there was any intent to influence the outcome within the contest in respect to the bets.”
AFL General Counsel Andrew Dillon said Nicholls’s action were a clear breach of the AFL rules.
“The AFL amended its rules relating to wagering in March 2020 to make it clear that Player and Officials would be held responsible for bets that are placed on accounts in their name.” Mr Dillon said
“The AFL, AFLPA, and all clubs provide extensive education and counselling on all matters relating to gambling. There simply is no excuse - if you have a betting account it is your responsibility to ensure that it is not used for betting on AFL matches regardless of whether you place the bets or not.”
Nicholls will still be allowed to train with the Gold Coast Suns but won’t be available for selection in Rounds One or Two. Nicholls will not be able to play in Gold Coast’s VFL team during this time.
It’s understood the Suns will not impose any of its own sanctions on Nicholls who is yet to make his AFL debut after arriving at the club at the end of 2020 as a rookie.
Nicholls, off contract at the end of the 2022 season, is a graduate of the Suns academy and played at the Labrador Tigers.
He also won the AFL Queensland Schools Cup with Helensvale State High School in 2020.
Suns general manager of football performance, Wayne Campbell, said Nicholls was fully aware of the rules and that the club will continue to support him.
“Rhys has cooperated fully with the investigation, put his hand up and understands the rules and why they are in place,” Campbell said.
“Rhys will prepare for the upcoming season and we as a football club will continue to support him moving forward.”
The Sun who shapes as Round 1 bolter and SuperCoach bargain buy
HUGH Greenwood crowned Alex Davies as his perfect successor when he exited the Suns and the teenage midfield sensation shapes as a Round 1 bolter on the back of his early pre-season form.
Davies put the AFL world on notice with a strong display in Gold Coast’s 21-point practice match win over Port Adelaide at Metricon Stadium on Friday.
The 19-year-old Cairns product, long hailed by former Suns Academy head coach Andrew Raines as one of the greatest players to come through its development system, could be considered a Greenwood 2.0.
Standing at the same height (191cm) as the man who has joined North Melbourne, Davies has the same rangy wingspan and possesses the same tackling ability as Greenwood with some extra pace and agility to add to the mix.
Priced at just $202,500 in SuperCoach, with just 3 per cent of teams featuring him, Davies could be one of the best bargain buys of the season.
He is in a race to fill the void left by Greenwood along with the likes of Brayden Fiorini and Rory Atkins and could hold the advantage after being among Gold Coast’s best against Port Adelaide.
“I was matched up against Hugh in most training sessions last year and he was always really helpful with body positioning and bodywork around the stoppages,” Davies said.
“He worked a lot with me and I was sad to see him go. He personally told me the spot is up for grabs and to go after it. He was confident I could do the job.
“What he did with his tackle pressure and pressure around the ball in tight spaces, that is what I feel like I am strong at and what I can bring to the team.
“I have been eyeing off that spot as a big inside mid but so are many others in the team.”
Davies has lost 4kg and feels his new 90kg frame has him running better going into his second year in the AFL system.
Greenwood looked to pass on his position in the team while Jarrod Harbrow, who retired at the end of 2021 playing 262 AFL games, gave Davies his No. 5 guernsey.
“It is pretty special to have Harbs pass it down to me,” Davies said.
“I grew up having him as my role model and I’ve always looked up to him.
“He texted me late at night after he retired telling me I had a long future at the Suns and that he felt like the right fit. He did a lot with the No. 5, both on and off the field.
“He did so much with his mentoring and school programs so there is a role to play by wearing this number. It isn’t just about what I do on the field, but off it as well.”
Davies was an Academy preselection in 2020 and made his AFL debut in Gold Coast’s final game of the 2021 season against Sydney.
The teenager wasn’t overawed by the occasion and went in with a quiet confidence in the surest sign yet of the impact Davies is set to make in the AFL.
“I felt ready. It wasn’t anything different to me,” Davies said.
“I wasn’t too nervous, I just knew I was up for it. It took me a while to get into the game but once I got the pace of it,it felt natural.”
Captains call: Duo reveal their plans for Suns captaincy
JARROD Witts has voiced his desire to continue co-captaining the Suns in 2022 with Dave Swallow but both believe the hand over to a new leader will come while they are still at the club.
Witts, 29, and Swallow, 29, have led Gold Coast since 2019 and look set to do it for a fourth year.
Gold Coast has multiple other strong leaders waiting in the wings, including star onballer Touk Miller and Sam Collins who were part of the 2021 leadership group.
But Witts has indicated they may need to wait at least another year before potentially taking on the mantle.
“I’d like to keep doing it this year,” Witts said.
“Moving forward things can change. We haven’t set ourselves on anything yet and still in the process of going through that.
“I really love leading this group and cherish it. It has helped my football as well.
“At the end of the day whoever it is, it won’t change too much about how I go about it.”
Swallow, Gold Coast’s very first No.1 draft pick, said he would likely pass the baton on to another leader while still atthe club.
“The conversation will be had at some stage about who is coming through,” Swallow said.
“When that is I’m not sure yet. I certainly feel like, with guys coming through, at some stage we could hand over the reinsand support them as well.
“I don’t really know when that time will be but it will probably sooner rather than later.
“I don’t see myself holding it for years to come. It comes down to feel as well. For me and Wittsy it’s about how we playour best footy and it might be we hand it over at some stage and play an important role just as players.”
Witts is making his way back from an ACL injury and will undergo testing this week when consultants from Melbourne come tothe Gold Coast to review the progress of the ruckman and others, including Rory Thompson who is returning from the same injury.
Witts, who is 10 months into his rehabilitation, said he was hopeful of playing in Gold Coast’s practice game against Geelongon March 7 but was yet to be told when he will be free to play.
“It would be nice to get some practice games in before Round 1,” he said.
“Whether it happens or not, I’m not sure. Things are tracking well at the moment and I haven’t had any setbacks.”
Swallow had some issues with groin soreness upon his return from the off-season but has since returned to the peak of hispowers.
Suns lock in future gun
ELIJAH Hollands has signed a two-year contract extension with the Suns and now has his sights set on making his AFL debut.
Hollands has penned a new deal that will tie him to Gold Coast until the end of 2024 in a major boost to the club as it looks to keep one of the AFL’s most talented young lists together.
The 19-year-old didn’t waste any time agreeing to a new contract despite his original deal not expiring until the end of 2022.
“It came around so quickly because it was such an easy decision to make,” Hollands said.
“The club showed a great deal of confidence in me and I have a great deal of confidence in the club and where we are heading.
“It is super exciting. We spoke last year about having such a young and exciting list but now another year has gone by and those boys have a lot more experience in them.
“We are very confident with the way we have been training over summer and we are building some very good foundations that we know can help us win a lot more games of footy.”
Hollands has been one of Gold Coast’s most intriguing talents. He was touted as a potential no. 1 draft pick in 2020 but ruptured his ACL in February that year.
He slid to pick seven before undergoing a major rehabilitation program on his knee when arriving at Gold Coast.
Hollands managed to play nine games for Gold Coast’s reserves in 2021 and has returned to full flight in the current pre-season, stripping weight and impressing while playing on the wing.
He said the injury had instilled a resilience and mental toughness that would help him going into the future.
“It just builds a great deal of resilience,” Hollands said.
“You need that to go through something like that. An ACL recovery isn’t a quick turnaround. “Coming off that you learn a bit more mental toughness and know you can work through things you didn’t think you could before. That has been really big for me.
“I have had a great deal of support from the club as well. From the day I walked in here to today and when I played my first game, every week has been great.
“I try and see the positive side of most things but going through an ACL rehab you definitely have low moments.
“At stages I walked into the club last year thinking I couldn’t really see the other side. That is why the support is there.
“Those guys were able to wrap their arms around me when I got a bit frustrated or I thought I could push on or something wasn’t right.”
What it will take for Suns to keep one of AFL’s brightest talents
JACK Lukosius says on-field success in 2022 will dictate whether or not he re-signs with the Suns but is confident the team can deliver.
But any hope Gold Coast had of locking away one of the AFL’s brightest young stars early looks lost with Lukosius saying: “I don’t think anything will happen in the next couple of weeks”.
“I’m sure as the year goes on the club will talk to my manager and they will sort it out.
All I can do is play my role for the team really well,” Lukosius said.
The 21-year-old, who has made the move from defence into the forward line in the pre-season, said results will play the biggest role in his decision making.
“I have played for three seasons now and haven’t won a whole heap so I definitely want success,” he said.
“I definitely think the club is on the right path and I need to play my part in achieving that.
“I think everyone sees and feels the improvement but consistency throughout the year is what will take us to the next level.
“Our best footy is good. We almost beat the (Western) Bulldogs late last year and they were flying so I think the confidence is there.
“We are young so being mentally refreshed and being able to prepare and play well for 23 games – that will be whether we make it or not.”
He lives with teammate Ben King who is also out of contract at the end of the 2022 season and the said the duo would lean on each other throughout the season as scrutiny surrounding their future intensifies.
The pair played in defence together at the AFL Academy and will now do the same in the forward line for Gold Coast this seaon after Lukosius spent the majority of his first three seasons and 60 games playing either as a defender or on a wing.
Lukosius said he was becoming more comfortable in front of goal and revealed the conversation with coach Stuart Dew that sparked the position switch.
“Being in front of the ball and reading everything in front has taken a bit of time but I’m really looking forward to the season ahead,” Lukosius said.
“I have always spoken pretty openly to Dewy about my thoughts on footy and I think we see the game pretty similarly.
“He came with it to me, gave me a call at the end of last season when we had two weeks in isolation up here we had a debrief about the year and what not.
“We decided it might be a good idea. As the off-season went on it grew and grew by little bits and then we decided to commit to it. It is exciting.”
Dew is eager to use Lukosius’ elite kicking in order to both deliver the ball from around the arc to an awaiting King deep in the square but Lukosius said the pair would be interchangeable throughout a game.
“We will be looking to use my kick as much as we can but I might roll deep at times and Kingy will be up the ground,” Lukosiussaid.
“Hopefully I can take a defender with me and leave him one out because one-out not many can go with him.
“I’m sure there will be plenty of ways it works throughout the year but it is exciting to be working with him.”
Inside contract discussions with key Suns trio
THE Suns are confident they have the war chest needed to stave off poaching bids from rival clubs and retain three of its hottest talents.
Talls Ben King, Jack Lukosius and small forward Izak Rankine all come out of contract at the end of the 2022 AFL season and will be three of the biggest players on the market if they choose to look outside of Gold Coast.
New Suns football manager Wayne Campbell said numerous discussions had already been held with the group about their futures, with the players giving every indication they are committed to the club.
“The feedback from them has been really positive,” Campbell said.
“They walk around with a smile on their face. They are really committed to the Gold Coast and the Gold Coast Suns.
“They love being up here and we are really relaxed with where it is at. It seems positive.
“We would love their signature (now) but it’s not something we wake up everyday thinking about.”
Campbell also said the club had enough room in the salary cap to match rival offers and ensure their keep the players who are critical to its future.
King, a full forward who has kicked 89 goals in 53 games, is understood to be on around $650,000 while Jack Lukosius, one of the best field kicks in the AFL, is understood to be on around $600,000.
Rankine had an injury-interrupted opening to his career and been in and out of the side with form issues while showing glimpses of his best.
Opposition recruiters rank them as key targets who could add enormous value to a list if prized away from Queensland.
Gold Coast has been stripped of elite players throughout the course of its 11 years in the AFL, with Tom Lynch, Steven May, Gary Ablett, Jaeger O’Meara and Dion Prestia among those to leave.
There is a growing sense of optimism around Gold Coast after becoming more competitive in recent seasons while coach Stuart Dew and the football department rebuilt the list.
But pressure to perform is rising in 2022. Dew is in the final year of his contract and a list that is still one of the youngest in the league is pushing to make finals for the first time.
If King, Lukosius and Rankine haven’t decided on their future and the club falls short of internal expectation it could make retaining the trio difficult.
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