Bring on first division team soon: Matthews
8:00a.m. 18 February 2006
By JON TUXWORTH BRISBANE Lions coach Leigh Matthews agrees with the Maroochy/Northshore Roos the Sunshine Coast needs a AFLQ first division side sooner rather than later.
The man voted the AFL Player of the Century addressed the club at their season launch at Maroochy RSL on Thursday, after the Roos recently expressed their desire to field a top flight side in the near future.
Everyone in the football industry, from the AFL to AFLQ down, want it to happen, he said.
The Gold Coast has three AFLQ sides.
Getting one up here is so important.
Although the Lions have provided a pathway to the AFL via the Suncoast Lions for the Coasts teenage talent, Matthews said it was always going to be a stop-gap solution.
Six young Sunshine Coast players play for the team each week and Im sure its a great thrill for these 17-year-old kids, he said.
Players such as Simon Black last year have come back from injury through the Suncoast Lions and having the team based here gives the fans a chance to see them play when the option didnt previously exist.
Its been a really good partnership for us, but it was always going to be interim.
He urged the club to continue their quest to make their first division dream a reality.
Its an initiative I applaud, he said.
You can tell very quickly that this is a vibrant footy club and look the most likely at the moment to field a team in the AFLQ division.
Last year, six former Roos players lined up for Brisbane club Zilmere in the AFLQ, partly due to the fact local players over the age of 18 are ineligible to play for the Suncoast Lions.
Last Modified on 12/02/2008 12:52