Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick reveals meeting with star Matt Rowell after trade links

Matt Rowell is in demand and Victorian clubs are circling. Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick reveals what was discussed in a private meeting with the star onballer.

Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick sat down with Matt Rowell this week to pitch a vision of future success to his superstar midfielder amidst heavy interest from a host of Victorian clubs.

Rowell, 23, is off-contract at the end of 2025 and has been linked to Geelong, Collingwood, Essendon and the Western Bulldogs with an arms race brewing for the services of arguably the best contested ball winner in the AFL.

The 2019 No.1 pick’s skillset makes him a hot commodity on the open market and given his Victorian roots the sharks are circling to tempt him away from the Glitter Strip, where he has established himself as a bonafide star of the competition.

St Kilda is another club that could come knocking given its significant cap space and desperate need for midfield firepower and the longer Rowell remains unsigned beyond this season, the more clubs will feel they can poach him.

Matt Rowell is in demand. Picture: Getty Images

Any move for Rowell would have to include a trade given he is not yet old enough to qualify for free agency and the Suns’ asking price would be steep.

Publicly and privately the Suns are confident Rowell will stay loyal to their cause but that has not stopped the head coach from stepping in to remind his star on-baller of his value to the side.

Hardwick told Code Sports he preferred “not to get involved in player contracts” but made an exception this time with Rowell, whose presence at the Suns was a big reason why the triple-premiership coach chose to take the Gold Coast gig.

“We caught up this week and just spoke about where we see this side going,” Hardwick told Code Sports.

“Sometimes we present to a (Daniel) Rioli or a John Noble and say, ‘this is what we’re about, this is what we’re trying to do’ but sometimes we can forget how important our own players are – we’ve got to tell them the story about what we see.

Hardwick met with Rowell this week. Picture: Getty Images

“We went through what our side is like, how we envisage it going forward and what that looks like.

“Hopefully the narrative we have is one of success.”

Hardwick said the onus was on the club to develop a winning culture and convince Rowell he would taste success at the Suns.

“I think you’re always concerned when one of your best players is talking to other clubs but it’s also the industry, we understand that,” the coach said.

“Every player is entitled, when they come out of contract, to make a decision whether it’s financially or for family reasons or whatever, to discuss that.

“What we have to do as a club and organization is hold up our end of the bargain. We have to provide Rowelly with the best place possible to play his best footy and we also have to win footy games – to this stage we probably haven’t delivered on the winning footy games.

The Suns are desperate to hold on to their star. Picture: Getty Images

“He had a great year last year but we have to make sure we win more games than we lose. Finals is what he’s all about. He’s a winner, this kid. He wants to win and that’s our challenge, to make sure we provide that opportunity for him.

“He’s loved by our players, he’s loved by our staff and he’s loved by our fans. We’re confident that he’ll stay but we also understand there is a responsibility from our football club that comes with that.

“I’ve been very lucky to be around a lot of successful footy clubs through my playing career and coaching career and I’m very excited about what this club has to offer. It hasn’t quite delivered on that yet, but we’ve built a fair base that we’re very excited about.”