Matt Rowell receives Round 2 Rising Star nomination, Stuart Dew confident he’s a long-term Sun
Gold Coast coach Stuart Dew says Rising Star nominee Matt Rowell isn’t going anywhere, and would welcome a tag from the Adelaide Crows on Sunday.
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Gold Coast coach Stuart Dew is confident that wonderkid Matt Rowell wants to be a long-term Sun and says the young gun would relish getting tagged by Adelaide this weekend.
Last year’s No.1 draft pick was simply outstanding in the thumping win over West Coast last Saturday night to earn the Rising Star nomination for Round 2 and glowing plaudits around the AFL industry.
The tough, talented and even-tempered 18-year-old midfielder has been compared to the likes of Michael Voss and Joel Selwood but has already made a name for himself after just two senior appearances.
Melbourne born-and-raised Rowell is a player that the Suns can build their club around and Dew is content that he will stay on the Gold Coast along with a host of other top draft picks that have joined the club in recent years.
“We’ve got full trust in what he’s seen since he’s got to the footy club. You can only watch the guy and see how much he loves it,’’ Dew said.
“There’s other players looking around saying this is where I want to be. We are really confident that Matt is one of those and he’s going to drag a couple with him.’’
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Dew said if the Crows decided to pay extra attention to Rowell this week, it would be water off a duck’s back for the rose-growing enthusiast.
“If he did (get tagged) I think he’ll probably enjoy it. That’s the type of guy he is,’’ he said.
“He plays the game on its merits. If he gets that, he’ll wear it in the right way and it won’t change how he goes about things.’’
Dew said everyone at the Suns had quickly moved on from the Round 2 success to focus on the Crows.
“We’ve got to well and truly reset for this week because last week’s well and truly done.
“Looking back, it’s a bit of an anchor. The sides that can focus on the moment and what’s coming, they are the sides that get the results.
“We’re making sure our guys understand that if we bring our best, what we are capable of, we think we can win.’’
Dew said increased expectations on the Suns now matched the club’s internal discussions from the first day of pre-season.
“Our time is now, we are more than capable. We are not here to just compete and do all the fluffy stuff, we are here to win and get the four points like every other team,’’ he said.
ROWELL REWARDED FOR DOMINANT DISPLAY
Gold Coast Suns players arrived at Metricon Stadium on Saturday night to a table of personalised letters from fans.
With no supporters physically allowed to attend the game, the Suns at least wanted them there in spirit.
“It was pretty cool,” midfielder Matt Rowell said.
“My letter just said, ‘We can’t be there to support you, but we know you’ll put in a performance to make the fans proud and just go out there and give it your all’.”
Rowell could not have given much more as he led the Suns to victory against West Coast in just his second AFL game.
The best player on the ground, Rowell logged 171 SuperCoach ranking points – the most of any 18-year-old in at least 12 years.
Coach Stuart Dew broke the unsurprising news to the Suns playing group on Monday that Rowell had earned the Round 2 NAB Rising Star nomination.
“I was happy with my performance so I thought that I might have been in with a shot but it was nice to get told the news by Stuey in front of my teammates,” Rowell said.
Likened to Michael Voss, Rowell has been labelled a “man child” by AFL legend Leigh Matthews given his power and strength in the contest and ability to break tackles.
The 2019 No. 1 draft pick is listed at 78kg – but that was before a summer in the gym which was followed up with many more long hours of weights during football’s hiatus.
“I just kept doing my gym and focusing on skills and just trying to become a better player,” Rowell said.
“One of my strengths has been to use my strength in the midfield, but I’m always working on it.”
Rowell is still enjoying what teammates tease is an “easy” life with best mate Noah Anderson at the home of Suns’ chief executive Mark Evans.
Those letter-writing fans would be hoping Rowell pens something of his own soon – a contract extension beyond 2021.
But, for now, Evans has not been too pushy on that around the house.
“He’s not like that at home. He’s pretty chilled out,” Rowell said.
“But I couldn’t be happier, to be honest. I’m loving it up here, loving the lifestyle and loving my footy.”
STAR CAT LAUDS ROWELL
Tim Michell
Geelong captain Joel Selwood has lauded the impact of second-gamer Matthew Rowell as the No. 1 draft pick led Gold Coast to a stunning win over West Coast on Saturday night.
A talent Cats recruiting guru Stephen Wells said could have played AFL last year, Rowell highlighted his AFL readiness with a team-high 26 disposals in the Suns’ 14.6 (90) to 6.10 (46) triumph.
Midway through the Round 2 boilover, Selwood tweeted: ‘Going to enjoy watching Rowell for the next 15 years. #youngbull’.
Going to enjoy watching Rowell for the next 15 years. #youngbull
— Joel Selwood (@joelselwood14) June 13, 2020
Champion Data ranks Rowell’s breakout match as the best ever by an 18-year-old, eclipsing the 166 ranking points recorded by Toby Greene in 2012.
Rowell amassed 171 ranking points against the Eagles, 25 more than the third-ranked 18-year-old James Aish (146) and 30 more than Sam Walsh’s best match (141) in his debut campaign.
The tough on-baller kicked his first AFL goal late in the first half of Saturday’s game, finishing a chain of handballs on the run with Eagles star Tim Kelly in hot pursuit.
Brownlow medallist Adam Cooney said the 18-year-old was the “most influential player on the ground” as Rowell finished with seven tackles, five clearances and two goals in the 44-point win.
“When the Suns were in a bit of a hole he’s the one that turned things around,” Cooney said on AFL Nation.
The Oakleigh Chargers product amassed 171 KFC SuperCoach points for inspiring his side to its first win since Round 4 last season.
Rowell told Fox Footy his family would have been “jumping off the couch” in Melbourne watching his first AFL victory.
“It’s an amazing feeling. For the past three weeks since coming back we have talked about having belief in each other and we really showed it out there,” he said.
“The boys are so pumped and we really enjoyed being out there tonight.
“We knew we were coming up against a high-class midfield. We just couldn’t wait for the challenge.”
Gold Coast coach Stuart Dew said Rowell’s readiness reminded him of Sydney star Luke Parker, who he rated an AFL talent soon after his arrival at the Swans.
“We’re not surprised. I think I’ll get sick of saying it but we love that we have got him,” Dew said.
“He just loves footy. He’ll eat up anything that you give him in terms of footy. He just wants to impact the game for the team.
“If you go back to both Matt and Noah (Anderson’s) speech before the draft, he was a little bit aware he was coming to us and talked about coming here to make an impact for the team.
“We all love that he’s so humble. The work he puts in is pretty special.”
A raging favourite to win this year's Rising Star, Dew said Rowell’s ability to match West Coast’s vaunted midfield was impressive.
“We started him in the centre bounce. It wasn’t a gesture to get him into the game. We thought he could influence from the start,” he said.
Matt Rowell's first career goal was brilliant!
— AFL (@AFL) June 13, 2020
He can seriously play!#AFLSunsEagles pic.twitter.com/p6I2QtCiwn
Earliest game in a career that an @AFL player has had 25+ disp, 2+ goals, 10+ con poss, 5+ clearances & 5+ tackles
— Swamp (@sirswampthing) June 13, 2020
2 - MATT ROWELL
3 - Luke Dunstan, Ollie Wines
5 - Jimmy Bartel
7 - Allen Christensen
10 - Michael Barlow
@GoldCoastSUNS #AFLSunsEagles @AFL
"Matt Rowell is a star player and he would have played virtually every game with us if we had him... And not only played, but helped us win as well"
— Telstra AFL Trade Radio (@traderadio) October 9, 2019
- Stephen Wells re: Rowell#AFLTrade
DISASTROUS START FOR EAGLES IN QUEENSLAND HUB
West Coast has suffered a disastrous start to hub life, losing to the Gold Coast 14.6 (90) to 6.10 (46) in what is likely to be the upset of the season.
The reigning wooden spooner, which had lost 19 consecutive games and managed only seven wins from its past 50 games made West Coast look average.
The Suns were a team of kids. But they are kids with talent and belief.
While the football world expected them to have a crack and then fold, they just kept having a crack and responding to every challenge.
When they kicked the first two goals, West Coast responded by having 16 inside-50s to six for the term. Surely Gold Coast’s defence would break? It didn’t.
The Suns led by two points at quarter time, but surely the Eagles would blow them away early and not concede early goals again? Nope. Two more quick goals to the home team.
When West Coast stormed clear to kick three goals in three and a half minutes and take the lead, there was an expectation that the Eagles would steamroll their young opponents.
Instead, Hugh Greenwood and Matt Rowell swung the game again by kicking goals and they led by three points at the long break.
Then came a third quarter to remember. Gold Coast booted five goals to one, including a second to Rowell after a free kick in a scuffle. This team wasn’t going to be bullied.
A 26-point lead with one quarter to play had Gold Coast in an amazing position. Could it hold on?
West Coast won the opening centre clearance of the final term and a goal could have made the Suns nervous. But they repelled the attacking effort and the Eagles didn’t manage a goal for the term.
Gold Coast worked harder. Rowell was best on ground in his second game. Lachie Weller’s run was influential. Touk Miller quelled Tim Kelly after a great start. The Suns simply met every challenge.
Gold Coast coach Stuart Dew declared he wasn’t surprised by number one draft pick Matt Rowell’s best on ground performance against West Coast as the Suns ending their losing streak with a stunning 44 point win last night.
The Suns had lost 19 consecutive games but played like and Rowell dominated while playing just his second AFL game.
Rowell had 26 disposals, two goals, five clearances, 14 contested possessions, seven tackles and a whopping 171 KFC SuperCoach points to send the AFL a message about his talent.
“It’s no surprise because we see him every day and what he puts in and how dedicated he is,” Dew said.
“I think I’ll get sick of saying it. He loves footy.”
Number two pick Noah Anderson also had a night to remember. He finished with 19 possessions and kicked his first career goal.
While the Eagles were a team of premiership stars, Rowell said his team had belief.
“It’s an amazing feeling. For the past three weeks since coming back we’ve talked about having belief in each other and we really showed it out there. The boys are so pumped and really enjoying being out there.
“We knew we were coming up against a high class midfield. We couldn’t wait for the challenge.”
Dew said the team always believed they could win despite their poor loss to Port Adelaide. He said the team had now raised the bar for what could be expected in the future.
“We were really confident coming into the season and we felt round one wasn’t a true reflection but unfortunately the whole club was in a position where everyone was sceptical which we understand,” he said.
“The response and the gap in between has been quite unique. We talked before the game not around competing and having a go and trying to knock them off. We just talked about winning.”
Top pick
Matt Rowell was the unanimous choice as No. 1 draft pick last year. He dominated under age footy and now he’s dominated a game at the elite level. Rowell has a body of a man and he played like a seasoned professional. He kicked his first career goal, followed it up with a second major and finished with 26 disposals, two goals, five clearances, 14 contested possessions and seven tackles.
Going to enjoy watching Rowell for the next 15 years. #youngbull
— Joel Selwood (@joelselwood14) June 13, 2020
Now what?
It’s going to be a challenging week for West Coast. After all the drama that comes with hubs, it has lost a game it was expected to win and now it has to return to the same conditions it has been living in and turn the environment on its head. Living in each other’s pockets and not being able to have many luxuries outside or football or the comforts of home will be a challenge. Hub life wasn’t meant to go this way.
What the?
Even the scoreboard operators appeared to just assume the Eagles would dominate. When Gold Coast kicked the opening goal, instead of awarding the score to the Suns, they credited it to the Eagles. The scoreboard was wrong for almost two minutes before somebody realised and made the change. It made for an awkward moment when the celebratory graphic appeared while the ball was in play.
Nic Nat
Adam Simpson warned he would be conservative with star ruckman Nic Naitanui early in the season and play him only as much as required. He wasn’t kidding. Naitanui came to the bench multiple times during quarters as the Eagles played him in bursts. The slippery conditions meant there were plenty of stoppages and Simpson didn’t want to wear Naitanui out too early in the year regardless of the scoreboard.
By numbers
It was Gold Coast’s 200th game and it celebrated in style. It scored 90 points for just the third time since the start of 2018. It kept the opposition to less than 50 points for just the second time in that same period. West Coast kicked only one goal in the second half. Numbers can be skewed by the reduced game time. But when you score and defend, nothing can be denied.
SCOREBOARD
GOLD COAST 2.0 6.2 11.4 14.6 (90)
WEST COAST 1.4 5.5 6.8 6.10 (46)
GOALS
Gold Coast: Day 2, Rowell 2, Ainsworth 2, Weller, Lemmens, Anderson, Greenwood, King, Holman, Lukosius, MacPherson
West Coast: Allen 2, Shuey, Kennedy, Petruccelle, Darling
Another questionable call as Lions withstand late charge
Greg Davis
It has been a crazy year for football.
But the more things change, the more they stay the same.
And Brisbane’s cream rose to the top to guide the Lions to a hard-fought 12-point win over Fremantle at the Gabba.
The Lions had three All-Australians in 2019 when they shot up the ladder and into the finals for the first time in a decade – Charlie Cameron, Lachie Neale and Harris Andrews.
And the talented trio were at the very heart of Brisbane’s first win for 2020 that came the hard way as the Dockers stormed home on the back of Michael Walters (28 disposals) who booted two late goals to get the visitors to within four points of the Lions.
Livewire small forward Cameron was red-hot in the first half with four goals, midfield ball magnet Neale collected 29 possessions to go with two goals and nine clearances while key defender Andrews was a tower of strength in the backline with his intercept marking and spoiling.
Brisbane led by as many as 25 points in the third quarter and held on for dear life in front of empty Gabba grandstands before skipper Dayne Zorko iced the game with a goal in the dying seconds.
Brisbane came out blazing after halftime and kicked three goals to one to establish an 18-point lead at the last change.
Eric Hipwood and Neale hit the scoreboard in quick succession for Brisbane after the resumption of play before Callum Ah Chee threaded the eye of the needle with a spearing drop punt for his first goal for Brisbane in his first senior appearance for the club.
Fremantle superstar Nat Fyfe added his third major for the day when he took a strong pack mark in the goalsquare.
Brisbane would have been disappointed with their slender five-point advantage given they were on top for a lion’s share of the first half until Fremantle upped their physicality and dragged themselves back into the contest in the second term.
The Dockers looked like they were still relaxing poolside at their hub headquarters at Royal Pines resort on the Gold Coast in the first term when Brisbane kicked four of the first six goals with Cameron at his sizzling best.
Fyfe was deathly quiet with just two disposals in the first term to sum up Fremantle’s sluggish start but they booted an important goal just before the quarter-time siren through Lachie Schultz after Lions midfielder Jarryd Lyons had a Brisbane free kick reversed in the centre of the ground when he sat Walters on his backside off the ball.
Brisbane held an eight-point buffer at quarter-time and extended their advantage through Cameron but the Dockers started getting their hands on the Sherrin and drew level with the home side midway through the second quarter before the Lions responded with goals to Zorko and Daniel McStay.
again was happy to just bank four premiership points.
“It’s been an interesting period of time preparing for this game so I wasn’t sure what would happen today and I’ll take a win of any sorts,’’ he said.
“Scoreboard wise we held ascendancy for most of the game. We just didn’t take all the chances that we created for ourselves. They were bold and brave in the last quarter and we knew they would keep coming at us and they did.
“We kept them in the game and kept giving them hope and we had to go right to the wire to win it. I was really pleased with our last couple of minutes where we controlled the ball. We kept having a crack. “
Clearances and discipline were the two key areas of focus from Fagan at halftime and was pleased with how his troops responded.
“It was great to see Lachie (Neale) play so well against his old club. I know he was a little disappointed last year with his performance when we played them in Perth but today I thought he was pretty good for us … he was in and under all day,’’ Fagan said.
“Charlie has played with his usual brilliance and I loved his pressure today and Harris has just become one of the better tall men in the game but there were other guys that contributed as well.’’
After being upbeat around the club all week in the build-up to the match, Cameron enjoyed hearing his post-goal song choice – “Baby Shark” – pump out over the Gabba speakers in the first half when he carved up the Dockers.
“Because there’s no crowds here we are trying to create energy. I’ll stick with it (the song),’ he said.
“After eight weeks without playing against good defenders, it was pretty tough but it was good to get out there and kick some goals. I try and get back to my pressure and energy in the contest, that really helped me and the goals just come naturally.’’
FIVE THINGS WE LEARNT
1. Class endures regardless of the length of quarters. Brisbane’s three All-Australian from last year – Harris Andrews, Charlie Cameron and Lachie Neale – were immense for the home side while Michael Walters and Nat Fyfe were the main drivers for the Dockers. The stars are spending more time on the paddock in 2020.
2. After a slow start against Essendon in Round 1, the Dockers produced another disturbingly sluggish effort in the first quarter against Brisbane. The Lions had two goals on the board before Freo had one tackle. There was no pressure or intensity from the visitors. Skipper Nat Fyfe had just two touches in the first term but bounced back with 11 disposals and two goals in the second quarter.
3. Footy is not broken in 2020. Sure, it’s a little different with the shorter quarters but the hysterical reaction to the low-scoring Collingwood-Richmond draw on Thursday was completely over the top. It was just wet at the MCG. Fifteen goals were kicked before halftime at the dry and quick Gabba.
4. The Dockers talk the talk and walk the walk. Fremantle and Brisbane players took a knee before the first bounce in a unified stand against racism. Earlier, a Dockers season ticket holder threatened on Twitter to take back $1800 worth of membership tickets if the club’s players took a knee. Freo didn’t wait. They quickly responded and refunded his cash.
5. Brisbane want to move the ball quicker in 2020 with a dash of daring. It was a bit clunky given the short build-up to the restart of the season but the Lions need to keep an eye on their discipline. Two silly free kicks late in quarters led directly to Freo goals. Senior coach Chris Fagan – was quite rightfully – not happy.
VOTES:
3: Lachie Neale
2: Michael Walters
1: Charlie Cameron
BEST:
Brisbane: Neale, Cameron, Andrews, Robinson, Rich, Zorko
Fremantle: Walters, Fyfe, Aish, Brayshaw, Logue, Taberner
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Originally published as Matt Rowell receives Round 2 Rising Star nomination, Stuart Dew confident he’s a long-term Sun