2009 Gold Coast Football Club season

Gold Coast
2009 season
CoachGuy McKenna
Captain(s)Marc Lock
Home groundCarrara Stadium
Best and fairestMarc Lock[1]
2010 →

The 2009 Gold Coast Football Club season was the club's inaugural season. It competed in the 2009 TAC Cup season beginning on 4 April 2009, just five days after the club was granted a provisional licence to enter the Australian Football League (AFL) in 2011.[2]

Gold Coast did not yet have a nickname, and it was not until July 2010 that th club would be known as the "Suns".[3]

Background

[edit]
Main article: History of the Gold Coast Suns

Gold Coast Football Club Ltd was registered with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission on 24 December 2007 by the Australian Football League. On 12 March 2008, the AFL received unanimous support from the existing 16 clubs for two expansion teams to enter the league.[4]

Collingwood assistant coach Guy McKenna was officially announced as GC17's inaugural head coach in August 2008.[5] On 5 September, the bid team announced the club would be known as the Gold Coast Football Club and would wear red, gold and blue.[6]

In October 2008, the GCFC bid team presented their submission to the AFL commission which included 42,000 committed supporters and the required 111 business partners. The AFL Commission revealed in November that the newly formed team would compete in the TAC Cup in 2009 and the Victorian Football League (VFL) in 2010, but had not yet been granted an AFL licence.[7]

On 31 March 2009, AFL Chief Executive Andrew Demetriou announced that the Gold Coast bid team had been granted a provisional licence to enter the AFL in 2011.[8] By this time, Gold Coast had already played two official practice matches.[9]

Season summary

[edit]
This section is an excerpt from History of the Gold Coast Suns § 2009: TAC Cup.[edit]
Brisbane Broncos fullback Karmichael Hunt signed with Gold Coast on 29 July 2009

Gold Coast scheduled a practice match against the reigning QAFL premiers Southport Sharks in the buildup to their first game in the TAC Cup.[10] The Gold Coast would go down to the Sharks 6.3 (39) to 3.5 (23) at Carrara Stadium.[11] Marc Lock was named as the first captain of the club just days before their first round clash with the Eastern Ranges in the TAC Cup.[12] The club lost their first round clash with the Rangers by 38 points at Carrara Stadium.

The following week, the Gold Coast recorded their first ever victory during a 134-point annihilation of the Western Jets.[13] The team went on to record 10 wins in their following 15 matches. The results would see the Gold Coast finish fifth on the ladder and earn them a spot in the finals. A top of the table clash in the last round saw Gold Coast miss a crucial double chance for the finals with a loss to the Geelong Falcons.[14] Gold Coast would come out victorious in their elimination final against the Northern Knights, but their dream season came to an end the following week in a semi-final loss to the Geelong Falcons.[15]

During the season, on 29 July, Gold Coast announced the signing of professional rugby league footballer Karmichael Hunt.[16] The three-year contract would begin in May 2010 when Hunt completed his prior commitments to play Rugby Union in France. The local media was quick to label the signing a publicity stunt with most media outlets tipping Hunt to return to the NRL before his contract expired.[17] Hunt completed his last game for the Broncos in a preliminary final loss to the Melbourne Storm at Etihad Stadium. "It's a bit of a sad moment for me but I will still be playing football in the future, it will just be a different code." Hunt said after the game.[18] He then traveled to France to play Rugby Union for Biarritz Olympique in the Top 14 competition.

Results

[edit]
Rd Home team Score Away team Score Ground Date
1 Gold Coast 9.10 (64) def by Eastern Ranges 16.6 (102) Carrara Stadium Saturday, 4 April
2 Western Jets 5.5 (35) def by Gold Coast 26.13 (169) Burbank Oval Sunday, 12 April
3 Bye
4 Tassie Mariners 4.5 (29) drew with Gold Coast 3.11 (29) MCG Sunday, 26 April
5 Calder Cannons 18.11 (119) def Gold Coast 15.13 (103) ABD Group Stadium Sunday, 3 May
6 Gold Coast 12.7 (79) def Gippsland Power 12.5 (77) Carrara Stadium Saturday, 9 May
7 Gold Coast 9.11 (65) def Dandenong Stingrays 8.12 (60) Carrara Stadium Saturday, 16 May
8 Gold Coast 10.9 (69) def by NSW/ACT Rams 14.10 (94) Carrara Stadium Saturday, 23 May
9 Gold Coast 7.13 (55) def Oakleigh Chargers 7.10 (52) Carrara Stadium Saturday, 30 May
10 Gold Coast 10.17 (77) def North Ballarat Rebels 11.4 (70) Carrara Stadium Saturday, 13 June
11 Tassie Mariners 16.14 (110) def Gold Coast 7.6 (48) Aurora Stadium Saturday, 20 June
12 Bye
13 Gold Coast 5.8 (38) def by Murray Bushrangers 14.9 (93) Carrara Stadium Saturday, 4 July
14 Gold Coast 13.16 (94) def Northern Knights 10.6 (66) Carrara Stadium Saturday, 11 July
15 Gold Coast 13.16 (94) def Western Jets 10.6 (66) Carrara Stadium Saturday, 18 July
16 North Ballarat Rebels 8.14 (62) def Gold Coast 7.6 (48) Northern Oval Saturday, 26 July
17 Gold Coast 15.16 (106) def Sandringham Dragons 8.2 (50) Carrara Stadium Sunday, 2 August
18 Gold Coast 12.14 (86) def Bendigo Pioneers 6.11 (47) Carrara Stadium Saturday, 15 August
19 Gippsland Power 10.9 (69) def by Gold Coast 12.14 (86) Visy Park Sunday, 23 August
20 Gold Coast 6.14 (50) def by Geelong Falcons 14.7 (91) Carrara Stadium Saturday, 29 August
Elim Final Gold Coast 10.17 (77) def Northern Knights 9.9 (63) Visy Park Saturday, 5 September
Semi Final Gold Coast 5.9 (39) def by Geelong Falcons 11.14 (80) Visy Park Sunday, 13 September

Source: [19]

2009 playing squad

[edit]

33 players were named on the Gold Coast list in 2009, with Marc Lock as the inaugural captain.[20]

Inaugural team (Round 1, 2009)

[edit]
B: Hamish Watts James Nelis Daniel Ramage
HB: Jake Crawford Matt Storey Jesse Haberfield
C: Joseph Daye Josh Thomas Todd Grayson
HF: Taylor Rolfe Matt Fowler Luke Shreeve
F: Rory Thompson Liam Rutledge Alik Magin
Foll: Zac Smith Marc Lock (c) Mitch Harley
Int: Declan Bevan Brad Rees Jack Stanlake
Nick Price Tyler Green
Coach: Guy McKenna[21]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Lock wins Club Champion award". Gold Coast Suns. 4 October 2009. Archived from the original on 13 June 2024. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
  2. ^ Smart, Nick (17 August 2009). "TAC Cup finals spot secured after win at Carrara". Gold Coast Suns. Gold Coast Bulletin. Archived from the original on 12 June 2024.
  3. ^ Smart, Nick (22 July 2010). "Gold Coast Suns officially revealed". goldcoast.com.au.
  4. ^ Lienert, Sam (13 March 2008). "Clubs back urgent AFL expansion". foxsports.com.au.
  5. ^ "Guy McKenna named Gold Coast AFL coach". Sydney Morning Herald. 13 August 2008. Archived from the original on 13 August 2008.
  6. ^ Smart, Nick (5 September 2008). "Coast AFL name, mascot launched". goldcoast.com.au.
  7. ^ Kogoy, Peter (19 November 2008). "Licence 'setback' for Gold Coast". The Australian.
  8. ^ "Green light for AFL licence". goldcoast.com.au. 31 March 2009. Retrieved 31 March 2009.
  9. ^ "TAC Cup fixture". Gold Coast Football Club. Retrieved 15 October 2009.
  10. ^ Smart, Nick (20 March 2009). "No favours from Sharks for Coast's first clash". goldcoast.com.au.
  11. ^ Smart, Nick (21 March 2009). "As good as gold". goldcoast.com.au.
  12. ^ Wilson, Terry (4 April 2009). "Teen talent galore at historic debut". goldcoast.com.au.
  13. ^ Smart, Nick (13 April 2009). "Coast run wild in first TAC Cup win". goldcoast.com.au.
  14. ^ Smart, Nick (31 August 2009). "Gold Coast blow shot at TAC Cup double chance". goldcoast.com.au.
  15. ^ "Geelong downs gallant Coast". mygc.com.au. 29 July 2009. Archived from the original on 19 September 2009. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
  16. ^ Hamilton, Andrew (29 July 2009). "Broncos star Karmichael Hunt joins new Gold Coast AFL team". Courier Mail.
  17. ^ Hooper, James (19 October 2009). "Karmichael's Hunt's stint in AFL labelled a 'publicity stunt'". foxsports.com.au.
  18. ^ Koch, Dan (28 September 2009). "Brisbane Broncos farewell Karmichael Hunt". The Australian.
  19. ^ 2009 TAC Cup Season Results
  20. ^ "New Team, New License, LET'S PLAY FOOTBALL!". Gold Coast Suns. 2 April 2009. Archived from the original on 12 June 2024. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  21. ^ "Teen talent galore at historic debut". Gold Coast Bulletin. 4 April 2009. Retrieved 5 April 2009.
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