Gold Coast sport: a tale of two pities
Good young kids at the Suns have set the Gold Coast alight. Why are the Titans still such a waste of space?
“We’ve got some good young kids at the club,” said one of the good young kids at the club. Back-pedal to the pre-season.
Noah Anderson woke in his bizarre new Gold Coast surroundings, blinked at the early-morning sun, wondered where the wind and rain and sleet had gotten to, marvelled at the absence of cumulonimbus, slipped on a pair of boardshorts he might have purchased from Mick Fanning’s store at Coolangatta, slopped on some sunscreen, slapped on a Suns cap and conceded: “It’s a bit surreal.”
No kidding. Anderson was the teenage prodigy with traditional Melbourne bloodlines when he went No.2 in the draft. There was good and bad news for the kid. The good news: you’re off to the AFL. The bad news: you’ve gotta move to the Gold Coast. And it’s not even Schoolies.
It was notorious for being home to the most underwhelming teams in Australian sport in the Suns and the NRL’s Titans.
No one seemed to give a stuff whether they won, lost, drew, went up in smoke. They had an unfailing knack of failing miserably, a tale of two pities. They were wastes of space, too far removed from the heartlands, so far off Broadway they were off-off Broadway, low on interest, low on impact, low on crowds, making up the numbers while ordinary players and retirees were paid too much as compensation for having to play there.
In other words, the Suns were hardly the club of dreams for a good young kid like Anderson. Metricon Stadium was no MCG, put it that way. His father, Dean, had been a two-time premiership player.
He’d started playing in Hawthorn little leagues at age four. He’d made Victorian junior rep teams. He was an outstanding young kid but rather than following his old man to Hawthorn or St Kilda, he was sent to the worst club in the land.
He slipped off his thongs, got the sand off his feet, laced up a boot and promised: “I’d like to think I can bring lots of positive energy and excitement to the club … and give 110 per cent all the time.”
Well, the good young kid, and all the other good young kids, have been good to their word and proved the beauty of a draft. They’ve painted Gold Coast in a new light. How do we know sporting teams can work on the holiday strip? Because this one is working. Winning matches. Club memberships are spiralling.
They’re playing with the electricity and long-term promise of the early Rolling Stones. Last year’s top draft pick, Matt Rowell, had the premiership by the throat before injury struck. Izak Rankine, 20, the third pick in the 2018 draft, has bristling flair and uninhibited creativity.
He’ll be a sight to see for the next 15 years. He’s a sight to see now. Four Suns players have won the Rising Star awards in seven weeks, including Anderson, who has brought all his promised energy and excitement and over-the-top percentages. “It’s exciting, I guess,” he said.
He guessed right. On Thursday night they get the prime-time slot against the Western Bulldogs. Men against the boys? We’ll see. It’s the Suns’ first headline act in the 10-year history of the club.
Their first Thursday or Friday night game. Their first stand-alone fixture.
General manager of football operations, Jon Haines, said: “We’re respectful of the opportunity, we‘re grateful for it and we can’t wait for it.”
Anderson said: “It’s an opportunity to show what brand we’ve been playing. I’m loving it. Starting to feel more comfortable. It just feels like junior footy at the moment, just running around with your really good mates and competing every week.”
The Suns are in the eight. They’re painting Gold Coast in a different light. The NRL desperately needs the Titans to replicate it. But how?
They have no great players, which means they struggle to attract other great players. Without any of those great players, they struggle to attract a proven coach. And without a proven coach, there’s another reason for great players to stay away. The answer? Fast-forward to buying a good young kid who’s already a star.
David Fifita is the key to the Titans doing a Suns. If the great 20-year-old kid leaves Brisbane for the Titans, the landscape changes. The Titans have a 186cm, 107kg bargaining chip to lure more players of his calibre. Fifita’s decision is expected in coming weeks. Until then, 15th on the ladder, going nowhere in a hurry, the Titans still resemble a waste of NRL space.
On the Gold Coast, winning changes all. The good young kids are doing good for themselves, their code, their surreal new city.
More Coverage
The players that made Robbo want to do a top 57
The hardest spot to pick in the top 50 isn’t No.1. It’s actually No.50. Robbo names the players he wanted to fit into his annual list – but couldn’t.
Full rankings: AFL Draft’s top 60 prospects rated and scouted
The 2024 AFL Draft is just over a month away, and to get you ready for the arrival of footy’s next generation, our draft experts CHRIS CAVANAGH and DAN BATTEN rank every prospect.