 08-08-2008, 06:49 PM |
| Rookie Analyst Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 10
vCash: 500 |  Gc17
| | Only 66 days out from when the Gold Coast formally submits its license application to become the AFL’s 17th team it’s worth having a look at how the Gold Coast club is shaping up.
The team is set to play in the TAC Under-18 competition in 2009 and aiming to then move into the VFL in 2010 and be an AFL club in 2011 if their license is approved in early October.
Since Michael Voss declined the coaching position in favour of being one of John Worsfold’s assistants at West Coast, potential coaches have been and are continued to be interviewed by the GC 17 coaching selection panel, a group which includes former Essendon player and Demons coach Neale Daniher.
Whilst without a coach, the club signed its first 3 players on the 30th of July.
The 3 seventeen year olds, all from Queensland, are the first to opt out of the draft, and be signed to the Gold Coast. This leaves the Gold Coast with another 17 selections to take more young Queenslanders who are of eligible drafting age in 2009 and 2010.
By next year the Gold Coast will have a squad of young men to compete in the TAC competition and potentially groom into AFL players. This gives the Gold Coast 2 seasons of football to gel together and become competitive football unit before they enter the league.
In comparison, the Fremantle Dockers gained their AFL license in July 1994, held their first training in October 1994 and were in the league in 1995. Fremantle weren’t to play in the finals series until 2003, and in hindsight must be said that it was not fair to expect a team to gel and play a level of football in their very early years that was going to take them to the finals.
Fremantle’s early recruiting was without the lavish draft concessions that the Gold Coast will get but they did target locals, 29 players were directly from the WAFL, many from inaugural coach’s previous team Claremont or from either East or South Fremantle. Many not up to the rigours of AFL football.
The Gold Coast still have a long way to become the 17th side in the AFL.
However, the AFL have been smart about their inception and are giving the Gold Coast enough time to mount a competitive team by the time of their inception in 2011.
Fremantle had 8 months from getting a license to an AFL fixture. They came 13th in ’95.
Port Adelaide came 9th in their first season (1997), though targeted to enter the competion in ’96.
The Gold Coast have years more time than Freo or Port, better results should be expected. __________________ Andy Morris, Betfair AFL bet journalist |  | | |
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