AFL Gather Round: Gold Coast Suns players back potential bid
The enthusiasm for the AFL’s Gather Round has reached new levels as several Gold Coast Suns players have their say on the potential for the Territory to host the event.
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The excitement surrounding the AFL’s Gather Round has reached new heights with multiple Gold Coast Suns footballers expressing their unwavering support for a potential bid to bring the event to the Territory.
Ahead of back-to-back Gold Coast Suns games at Darwin’s TIO Stadium beginning Saturday, May 27, four Territory-connected AFL players lining up for the club have rallied behind the idea.
Katherine-born Gold Coast midfielder Jed Anderson, who played for the Darwin Buffaloes, said “it would be huge for the Territory” to host the round which was inaugurated this year in South Australia.
“Obviously, everyone up there loves their footy, the whole community will support it,” Anderson said.
“I would love to see it one day and it would be nice in the next few years once the Territory starts to grow and Gather Round sort of catches on a bit.
“It would be nice to have it up there and see all the teams experience the Territory and see what it has to offer all round at this time of year.
“It‘s a beautiful part of the country, there are a lot of things to do.”
The momentous support follows an original suggestion from Collingwood superstar Mason Cox whose backing for the Territory to host was supported by NT Sports Minister Kate Worden.
Cox said playing football in the Territory was on his “bucket list” before retiring, while Worden said the NT was “more than capable of hosting a major event” and she was “open to any discussions.”
Speedy defender Lloyd Johnston was enthusiastic about the idea and said AFL matches played at TIO Stadium had fuelled his passion when he was growing up.
“It would be really good to see more games up in Darwin,” Johnston said.
“No matter what they are, as long it is more games in Darwin, more Indigenous rounds or even the Anzac round, it would be really good.
“When I was younger and AFL teams came up I would get goosebumps, I just want to be playing out there whether that’s with them or against them.
“That’s one of the reasons why I’m here today, when the AFL clubs came up it gave me the motivation to make it.”
Key position player Sandy Brock said the Gather Round experience would be “really good” for the Territory, particularly the young kids.
Brock formerly played for Palmerston in the NTFL whose ground, Cazaly’s Arena, could be used as a potential venue in a Gather Round with its grandstand infrastructure.
Former St Kilda player Ben Long, who has now found his place in the Gold Coast defence, was also enthusiastic about the idea.
“I’m sure the Gather Round will be moved around in the future and Darwin is capable of holding it,” Long said.
“Obviously there’s TIO Stadium but there’s a few ovals capable of playing big football games in the area.
“To bring more footy up to Darwin would be awesome for us, but also for the community as well.
“The community live and breathe footy so it’s very important when we get the time up there to play and get amongst the community.”
Long played for St Mary’s in the NTFL and is yet to play an AFL or VFL game in Darwin.
AFL Gather Round: Sports Minister Kate Worden backs Mason Cox’s NT host suggestion
Sports Minister Kate Worden has thrown her weight behind a suggestion from Collingwood superstar Mason Cox that the Territory should be the next host of the AFL’s Gather Round.
The 211cm US-born ruck-forward made the suggestion after being asked in a tweet if his homeland would work as a new setting for the unique round earlier this week.
Cox replied saying the AFL would need to initially invest more in the international market prior to any such move, before throwing the NT into the mix as another possible contender.
“Playing in the Northern Territory would be on my bucket list before retiring,” he wrote.
In response to questions from this publication, Ms Worden said she supported the high-profile Pie’s idea, saying the Territory was “more than capable of hosting a major event”.
“We always want to see more sport played in the NT and we would be open to any discussions about potentially hosting the Gather Round when it becomes available,” Worden said.
“The Northern Territory has a rich history of Aussie rules, and proved when we hosted the Dream Time game in Darwin, we are more than capable of hosting a major event.”
Ms Worden said playing footy in the NT was already “a career aspiration of many AFL footballers”.
“In recent years the likes of Eddie Betts, Gary Ablett Junior, Allen Christensen, Mitch Robinson and Jarrod Waite have all pulled on the boots in the NT to get that experience,” she said.
Cox, 32, who has travelled to the Territory in the past, including the Tiwi Islands and Blue Mud Bay, spoke highly of the game in the north.
“Their passion for football in remote communities is special and there is lots to learn there,” Cox said in his tweet.
If the NT was to host the Gather Round, Darwin’s TIO Stadium and Alice Springs’ Traeger Park could be used as two major venues while Cazalys Stadium in Greater Darwin would offer another possible option.
Both TIO Stadium and Traeger Park have hosted AFL games on many occasions in the past, with the former set to host another two games this season when the Gold Coast Suns take on Western Bulldogs in Round 11, followed by Adelaide in Round 12.
Traeger Park is also set to host an AFL match in Round 16 between Melbourne and GWS.
Gather Round was a success but is still in its infancy. I would love to see it moved from state to state first. Playing in the Northern Territory would be on my 🪣 list before retiring. Their passion for football in remote communities is special and there is lots to learn there. https://t.co/JAL4mCddpu
— Mason Cox AFL (@masonsixtencox) May 8, 2023
After the first iteration of AFL Gather Round in Round 5 this season, the league swiftly announced that South Australia would host the next three until 2026.
It would mean Cox would need to remain in the league as a player until he was 36 for him to potentially play in a Territory-hosted Gather Round.
Currently, there are three players in the game who are over the age of 35; Shannon Hurn, Scott Pendlebury and Lance Franklin who is one year older at 36.
AFL NT was contacted for comment.
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