WHAT'S NEW WITH SHARKS 2012

Dane Carmody is also hanging up his boots at state league level after 129 senior games three premierships 2005, 6&8

The retirements come on the back of the switch of clubs by reigning Grogan Medalist Matt Payne, who has signed to play with Aspley after two years at the Sharks.

Payne won this year's Southport best and fairest by one point from David James while O'Brien has won the award twice (2003 and 2006) and was runner-up in 2008. He was captain from 2004 to 2008 and has represented Queensland six times.

Carmody, second in the 2004 B&F, was Joe Grant Medal winner in the 2006 grand final. (Best on ground award)

O'Brien is departing reluctantly and gave every hint he may yet pull on the boots again in 2012. But he says he is not up to committing to the demands of training at 24 years of age.

``I'd like to play until I'm 50, but I just can't train,'' he said. ``Although I've never liked training anyway.''

Chosen in Southport's best of 25 Years of State League line-up, O'Brien admits he may get itchy feet and could possibly play some games at a level under the NEAFL.

``I'm not going to rule out playing one or two games in a lower division, but I'm not going to commit to a club,'' he said.

``I love Southport and the people there, it's just that unfortunately things come to an end.''

Also departing Fankhauser Reserve are ruckman Dean Putt (Bendigo Bombers) and Connor Pettersson (Sydney for work) and Joel Malone back to country Victoria to coach.

But the Sharks have been pretty busy in the recruiting stakes.

They have signed Shane Harvey, brother of North Melbourne champion Brent; Sam Whish-Wilson, who has played VFL with Tasmania and the Northern Bombers/Burnie; speed machine Arnold Knight from Palm Beach-Currumbin; as well as regaining former premiership trio Haydn Kiel (Box Hill) and Jason Burge (Port Melbourne) and Fraser Pope (Montrose EFL) along with former GC Suns player Jake Crawford and Callum Carseldine Western Magpies (Brisbane Lions top up player).

Craig Crowley, David Ashkar(Reserves Coach),Darren Coombe,Toby Horak(High Performance Manager),Michelle Kneebone(Physio) and Adam Dancey(under 18 coach) will assist Norm in the teams preparations for the coming season along with a host of volunteers led by Alan Moroney, Jim Smith, Doug Chapple,Dane Newman, Adam Garton,Randal Black.

The football committee will also be assisting off field matters made up of Dr Alan Mackenzie, Bob Langford, Ron Stewart and Rick Fankhauser.

The NEAFL season will see the boys travel interstate to Alice Springs Easter Saturday April 7 and Canberra in June with the final interstate trip being Darwin in round 18 August 4.

The season proper kicks off Saturday the 24th March when the boys venture to Victoria point to play Redland. The fixture is located on our web site.

Norm Dare is excited by the commitment shown by the playing group as a whole plus the local talent that has committed to the Sharks thus far along with the added coaching experience that Crowley and Ashkar bring to the table which can only assist personal developments of the players on an individual basis.

There is some late player movements in the pipe line so we shall keep you posted as developments eventuate.

The oval is in pristine condition in readiness for the season with some re surfacing of goal squares, centre circle and interchange areas having been implemented along with regular coring and fertilisation programmes.

Training recommences Monday Wednesday Friday at 5.30pm at the club through January and February.

Matty Payne has capped off a stellar 2011 season by winning the Southport B&F award.

But it was a vote-count much closer than many has expected, with David James pushing the 2011 Grogan Medalist all the way.

Payne polled 89 votes to scrape home by the barest of margins from David James (88).

While James had to be content with his third runners-up trophy since 2003, Payne had the satisfaction of joining players who have taken B&F honors with two clubs, having won the corresponding award with the now defunct Zillmere Eagles in 2007-08.

His first Southport B&F title, named in honor of long-time Sharks present Dr Alan Mackenzie, came in his second season with the club after he’d played with Sturt in the SANFL in 2009.

It iced a 2011 season in which the 26-year-old speedster became the 13th dual winner of the Grogan Medal and just the second behind ex-Southport and Broadbeach ruckman David Round to win the medal with two different clubs.

Originally from Rosebud in Victoria, Payne was also chosen in the 2011 NEAFL Northern Conference Team of the Year, and was standout performer in the Queensland side that pushed Western Australian to within a whisker of defeat in the interstate clash in Perth.

As the Southport faithful saluted a new club favorite they bid farewell to another as Dane Carmody confirmed his retirement.

A 94-game player with Subiaco in the WAFL before joining the Sharks 2004, 32-year-old Carmody hung up the boots after 129 senior games at Fankhauser Reserve.

He was a member of Southport premiership sides in 2005-06-08, winning the coveted Joe Grant Medal as best afield in the ’06 decider,

Skipper Danny Wise finished third in the 2011 Southport B&F with 68 votes, ahead of Darren O’Brien (56), Josh Baxter (53), Kurt Niklaus (42), Ben Merrett (41), Brett Davis (36) Ed Mallan (42) and late-season inclusion Wayde Mills (30).

Mallan, Southport’s only nomination for the NEAFL Northern Conference Rising Star Award, was named the club’s ‘Most Determined Player’, while Merrett took out ‘Most Consistent’ and Davis claimed ‘Most Improved’.

Dan Weymouth won the Coach’s Award, while Baxter took home the coveted
Wally Fankhauser Award, and long-time volunteer Doug Chapple won the Bill Wood Clubman of the Year.

In the Reserves, Brad Scalzo won the B&F from Regan Salter, while Brad Fisher won U18 B&F from Jackson Birch.

Southport's Matthew Payne and NT Thunder's Cameron Ilett have shared the 2011 Grogan Medal after Aspley's Micah Buchanan topped the vote tally when eligible to win the award due to suspension.

Monday, 5 September, 2011

Southport rover Matthew Payne joined Queensland football royalty tonight when he shared the 2011 Grogan Medal with Northern Territory Thunder midfielder Cameron Ilett.

Payne (pictured), who also won Queensland’s highest individual honor playing with the Zillmere Eagles in 2006, became the 13th dual winner and only the second player to win the medal with two different clubs.

In a night of sensations, Ilett became the first Thunder player to pick up a Grogan Medal, awarded this year to the player judged Best & Fairest in the Northern Conference of the new North East Australian Football League.

Payne and Ilett scraped home by one vote from Broadbeach rover Dayne Zorko after Aspley’s Micah Buchanan topped the vote-count by two but was ineligible to win the award due to suspension.

In other major awards announced at the annual end-of-season award dinner at the Gabba:-

• Zorko won the Syd Guildford Trophy as the Football Record Player of the Year.
• NT forward Ross Tungatalum won the NAB Northern Conference Rising Star Award.
• Rugby league convert Karmichael Hunt was included in the Queensland Team of the Year.
•  Ilett completed a special family double when he was named captain of the Northern Conference Team of the Year.
•  Popular AFLQ employee and former Grogan Medalist Robbie Hull received an AFL Merit Award in recognition of his life-time service to the game.
• Andrew Stephens was named Northern Conference Umpire of the Year from former AFL umpire Jason Baldwin.
• The elevation of Southport icon Dr Alan Mackenzie to 'legend' status in the Queensland Football Hall of Fame, announced earlier in the season, was formalised.

Thursday 18 August 2011

You wouldn’t think after a record-equalling 218 games that much would surprise Adam Devine, but the Southport stalwart got one last Saturday.

The premier tagger in the competition for a number of years, Devine almost fell over when young Aspley utility Josh Wagner started following him around at Graham Road.

“I got a touch of my own medicine,” Devine laughed.

It was testament to the impact that Devine was having on the game that the Hornets would try and lock down on him, especially as Aspley had control of the match throughout the first half.

Devine does not usually suffer from pre-match nerves, but he admitted to some tension before the game as he equalled Shaun Stephens’ State League club record.

“I didn’t want the attention because it was a very important game for the club,” Devine said of the virtual elimination final.

“Shakin’ (Stephens) rang me and spoke to me on the day. It was very humbling because I was lucky enough to have trained and played alongside him early in my career.”

Little changes again on Sunday, with Devine this time breaking the record and Southport still needing to beat Redland at Victoria Point to give themselves a chance of a finals berth.

“This week the focus is definitely on winning and only winning,” he said.

It has been an unusual year for both Devine and his club, with the Sharks anchored to the bottom of the table for 11 weeks as they won just two games in the opening half of the season.

“It was weird,” he openly admitted. “I had never experienced anything like it. Even when I was watching the team growing up, Southport didn’t not win.

“When you lose games it does put a dampener on the place. It was humbling in a way. Redland are a successful club now but it makes you think what it must have been like for them back through those years where they hardly won a game.

“It was a difficult situation for us but we fought our way out of it.”

Devine said the player group set themselves some definitive goals mid-season before their surge towards an unlikely finals berth.

“We got together as a group the week before the Ainslie trip and identified some key goals,” he said. “We set ourselves to win three of the next four games and once we’d done that, all four games in the next month which we saw as winnable.”

Devine is confident that if the Sharks do scrape into fifth place, they won’t be there just to make up the numbers.

“I think we can go on with it. We’ve really settled – we can definitely shake the tree,” he said.
 
It will give him a chance to get closer to Zane Taylor’s mark of 225 State League and Gold Coast League games, although Devine fully intends to continue playing next season.

He turns 30 on the day he breaks the current record, and has an unbridled passion for the club and game, so there could be more seasons after that.

A contracts manager with a national landscape management company, he has spent the last 10 months sitting behind a desk, which might partly explain the neural problem in his back that forced him to miss a number of games at the start of the season.

“It was sending pain to my hamstring and every time I played I thought I was going to tear it,” Devine said. “It took a few weeks to get to the bottom of the problem but I’ve been pretty happy with my form since I got back into it.”

Indeed Devine has done the job for his coach as a goal kicking defensive forward, midfielder, defender and tagger.

Devine said Norm Dare’s move of giving him run-with roles back in 2004 got the best out of him after being regularly on the ‘dead’ wing opposite the brilliant David James.

Devine also nominated his 2006 and 2008 premiership coach Craig Crowley, longtime football manager Jason Cotter, Sharks president Allan ‘Doc’ Mackenzie and his parents as profound influences on his career.

There is one other person who has been an important supporter in the latter years – the milestones keep coming when Devine marries fiancée Zoe on October 15.

Adam on Saturday will equal the Sharks game record when the boys take on Aspley at Aspley of 218 games to tie with current board member and four times premiership player of the club Shaun “Shaky” Stephens. (Davey Burns Magpie era and Zane Taylor Magpie/Sharks era remain ahead on games tally on an overall basis.)

Coincidentally both Shaun & Adam have played their majority of football in the Sharks midfield and both have had that no nonsense discipline straight at it approaches to their football.

AJ a senior triple premiership player of the club (2005, 6 & 8), a shark player life member (10 years service and 150 senior games), A hall of Fame inductee as well as a QLD senior state representative 2007 & 2009 (both against Tasmania!!!) and a Wally Fankhauser award recipient-AJ has always worn the Sharks jumper with pride and his actions on and off the ground have always been first class.

We salute AJ on his achievements thus far and hope there is a few more milestones just around the corner.

We have a feast of Footy this Saturday 7th May at Sharks as follows

11.00am GC Suns Reserves take on Brisbane Lions Reserves

2.00pm Southport Sharks v Northern Territory

The senior boys will have their work cut out after N.T. undefeated start to the season (5-0) including a last start 20 goal annihilation of reigning premiers Morningside.

The shark’s seniors had a bye over the weekend just gone, however the reserves had a good victory over Mt Gravatt on a boggy track at Mt Gravatt.

The reserves ran out winners 9.11.65 to Mt Gravatt 5.4.34.

Dane Grant kicked 4 goals while Josh Milani kicked 2.

Best players for Sharks were Brock Askey, Josh Milani, Eddie Mallan, Dane Grant, Glenn Screech, Connor Pettersson, Matty Smith and Jesse Haberfield.

Our very own Regan Salter then turned out for GC Suns in the senior game against Mt Gravatt and played in the winning side and contributed with 2 goals for the game.

The under 18s then backed this up on Sunday with a good win at Victoria Point beating Redland 9.10.64 to 5.6.36.

Best Players were Ryder Court, Kody O’Hea, Jordan Davies, Luke Bird, Ryan Maetam and Ben Kelly.

Ben Kelly kicked 4 goals and Kody O’Hea 2

The under 18s next game is against Aspley at home (Fankhauser Reserve) on Sunday 8th May with the game starting at 2pm.

 

Claye Beams and Amon Buchanan put on a clinic as the Lions Reserves notched their first win of the NEAFL season in the best style possible.

Midfield duo Claye Beams and Amon Buchanan produced their ‘A’ games at Coorparoo today, with even Lions Reserves coach Nathan Clarke describing them as ‘dynamite.

Beams took 20 minutes to get into the game and Buchanan a touch longer, but when they hit the afterburners at the start of the second term, Southport’s hopes in their Round 4 NEAFL clash were obliterated.

The beautifully balanced Beams and workhorse Buchanan dominated the midfield with great service from their back half players in a manner rarely seen against Southport and the result was a 9.3 to 0.0 quarter.

“They were the catalyst at the start of the second quarter that really got us going,” Clarke agreed. “It lifted the whole team. Everyone jumped on board and away we went.

“It was a really pleasing effort.”

After trailing by nine points at the first change, the Lions led by 49 points at the long break and extended that to 78 points by the final siren, 22.15 (147) to 10.9 (69).

The ground level players capitalised on some quality ruckwork by an unexpected provider in the form of Irishman Niall McKeever.

The regular centre-half-back palmed the ball well but also had an influence around the ground with his strong running capacity and immaculate left-foot kicking. Southport got the early break courtesy of some heavy work in the clinches by Darren O’Brien and their best player of 2011 Matthew Payne slipping away from his ‘tag’ to kick two late goals.

However, the Lions were delighted with the effort of Richard Newell, who rebounded to keep Payne to 14 possessions in the first three quarters and 22 mostly under pressure for the day.

“Richard is a scholarship boy who has ended up having 25 possessions,” Clarke said. “He struggled early with the role we had for him playing on Payne but knuckled down to the task after quarter-time, really embraced the role and did a good job.”

Josh Drummond played his first game in 12 months since undergoing a knee reconstruction and did some quality things in his two and a half quarters on the ground.

He took a strong mark under the ball at half-back in the opening two minutes, twice ran down the ground to set up scores in the second term, and kicked the ball well.

“We wrapped him up at three-quarter-time. He didn’t do a whole lot of work in the first half and was feeling good, but after halftime was a bit crampy, so it was best to be safe than sorry,” Clarke said.

The Lions had a plethora of good players. Matt Austin was particularly good in the first half, Sam Sheldon did some nice things in defence, Ryan Harwood was strong in the midfield, Mitch Golby was prominent, and Josh Green was outstanding. Patrick Karnezis and Josh Dyson also did some classy things.

It was a different story for the Sharks, who couldn’t keep pace with their opponents and uncharacteristically fumbled on a number of occasions. Ben Headland worked hard at centre-half-forward against Drummond in the first half and was lively, while Tom Daniel was his side’s best across half-back.

However, he appeared to strain a hamstring 34 minutes into the long third term.

“I don’t think it’s really bad. He’s not too concerned about it but we’ll find out during the week,” said Sharks coach Norm Dare. “That’s what happens when you’re going ordinary; your good players get hurt.”

While Clarke admitted Southport were unlucky to run into the Lions with several AFL caliber players in the side, Dare was adamant that his side had to be prepared for that.

“Yes, of course you do. Its part of the way the game is played,” Dare said.

“They just completely beat us through the middle. It wasn’t just those guys (Beams and Buchanan) - they had plenty of help.

Our centre clearances for the game were 19 to 15 our way and boundary throw in clearances was 10 to 14 their way so we basically broke square in these areas however our forward 50 effective tackles totaled 8 for the game on 45 entries which needs to be better. These run and carry from our back half really showed us up.

"We were right off the boil. I thought our guys tried hard but we were completely out-run.” 

The senior side is now 1-3 on the premiership ladder which consists of 18 home and away games.

In the reserve game earlier the boys came up a very committed Aspley side that rebounded better than us and had better conversion running out winners

17-10-112 to our 13-16-94. The reserves now sit 3-1 on the premiership ladder.

The boys had a lot of play in the third quarter but kicked a wasteful one goal six while Aspley kicked 4 goals straight for the quarter and the same again in the last quarter when our boys kicked five goals five which could have easily been eight goals two or better with some misses from close in. In a mirror image image of our senior game the boys allowed a lot of rebound out of our forward fifty area.

Best players for Sharks were Josh Milani, Eddie Mallan, Regan Salter, Brock Askey, Matty Smith, Fraser Thurlow, Mitch Hopkins, Nathan Sharp and Dalton Tucker.

Southport has uncharacteristically lost both opening games of the northern conference but they do have the QAFL Coach of the Century in charge.

Thursday 14 April 2011

The man who was named coach of the Queensland Team of the Century faces one of his biggest challenges in the game in 2011. Norm Dare has won five premierships – one with Kedron and four at Southport – since he first coached in Queensland 31 years ago.

The former Fitzroy 72-gamer has also coached the State team, the Brisbane Bears, and been an assistant at North Melbourne and Geelong. He was wooed back to Southport this season after the super successful club missed the grand final for two consecutive years – and has seen has side lost both their opening games to sit on the bottom of the new North East Australian Football League competition.

It is unheard of territory for the Sharks and a place that does not sit comfortably with Dare following last Saturday’s 26-point loss at Mt Gravatt. Southport confronts unbeaten Labrador at their Fankhauser Reserve home on Saturday in what is an early crunch game for the side.

“You always like to hit it (the season) running,” Dare said. “You get what you deserve in footy and we have so far. I’m not happy about it, but…"

The Sharks were humbled by fellow Gold Coasters Broadbeach in the opening game and were out-enthused by Mt Gravatt. Former Carlton player Darren Pfeiffer is the Sharks’ major loss this season, but they have held on to gun forward Cleve Hughes, rover Matthew Payne and ruckman Dean Putt.

Skipper and reigning Grogan Medallist Danny Wise is underdone after a pre-season overseas holiday, but the Sharks still have a solid list. They recruited gun ruckman Dan Weymouth, who has slotted in well, but have missed the spark of Pfeiffer, who moved to the SANFL.

“We had one go to South Australia and we couldn’t hold him back – we couldn’t match the money they were offering him. We had a contract but you don’t hold them when they can do better somewhere else. We went and chased another one and had him all signed but he broke his ankle in the Darwin grand final so that didn’t help either."

“A few things have gone wrong but we’ve got enough depth at the club to get over all that. I’ve got no problems with our depth.”

Southport this week do face a Labrador side wracked by injury, with Tim Notting and Aaron Shattock headlining a big stable of players on the sidelines. However, the Tigers still have a strong midfield, an area where the Sharks must improve.

“We’ve just got to pick up our running brigade a bit,” Dare said. “I don’t know whether it’s because of all the wet weather we’ve had or missed practice games we’ve had but we just look like we’re still in practice match mode a little bit."

“Hopefully that will snap in the next two or three weeks.”

Dare always set high standards and the Sharks will no doubt be working doubly hard to rectify their tardy start to the season.

“We just train as normal and try and build on what we’ve done,” Dare said. “We try and work out what we’re doing wrong and work on it."

“The Seconds have had two good wins; we’ve got some good young kids there so we might look at bringing them in early. It’s a bit before their time but the experience won’t hurt them.”

 

Saturday 10 April 2011

Mt Gravatt’s insatiable appetite for the football overwhelmed Southport as the Vultures maintained their unbeaten start to the NEAFL season at Dittmer Park today.

The home side was in control throughout, leading by as much as 47 points in the third quarter, before easing down to a 12.17 (89) to 9.9 (63) victory.

The Vultures were more desperate for the ball in the opening two and a half quarters and when Southport finally began to match their tempo, they were rewarded on the scoreboard, albeit too late. Mt Gravatt’s movement of the ball constantly caught out the Sharks and once they found their accuracy in front of goal with six straight majors through the second quarter, the game was over as a contest. 

Former Lions forward Albert Proud set the standard in the midfield, throwing himself fearlessly at the ball, sharing it around with others, and kicking three goals when stationed forward. It was a highly impressive effort by the Mt Gravatt product, which was matched by his teammates.

Gavin Grose, who starred at centre-half-back in the second half against the Suns last week, had the big job on Cleve Hughes and was outstanding for the full four quarters this time. Grose kept Hughes to a solitary behind until time-on of the third quarter and conceded 2.2 for the day. He won most one-on-one duels and constantly ran down the ground to offer a target, even having three shots at goal himself – all behinds.

Southport struggled to generate any momentum around the ball.

Matthew Payne, playing his 100th NEAFL/QAFL match, worked tirelessly from the outset and his big second half helped his side inch closer to the Vultures. Dan Weymouth was solid in the ruck and Tom Daniel gave the Sharks a lift after being moved from defence to the forward line in the second half.

The Sharks have started the season with back-to-back losses and face another tough contract against unbeaten Labrador next weekend. Sharks coach Norm Dare was making no excuses, saying his team was beaten by a better side on the day who worked harder.

“I’d agree with that - I think they tired later from their high work rate more than anything,” Dare said. “To our guys’ credit they fought it out. We only had two left on the interchange but it’s easy to fight it out when the game’s all over.”

The Sharks lost tagger Adam Devine in the first half and the nippy Jarrod Searle in the second.

Good players were plenty with Brad Scalzo, Connor Pettersson, Jesse Haberfield, Fraser Thurlow, Nick Johnston, Nathan Trevena, Nathan Sharp, Kapun Morris, and Reggie Salter all playing some outstanding passages of football and combining together very well.

The reserve grade boys desire to spread the ball and tackle ferociously and their conversion in front of goal was the difference on the day. 

 

That was the message that rumbled loudly out of H&A Oval today after the Cats inflicted a stunning 18.14 (122) to 8.5 (53) defeat on Gold Coast giants Southport.

The Cats simply blew apart the Sharks with a dominant display around the ball. Loaded with talented running players, Broadbeach not only attacked cleverly with ball in hand, but defended with plenty of passion, placing their opponents under extreme pressure throughout.

Kicking with the aid of stiff breeze in the first term, the Cats locked the ball forward for long periods but looked to have harmed their chances with 5.6 to 3.0, particularly as the Sharks looked to generate some momentum with the last two goals of the term.

Instead it only served to re-focus the Cats, who dominated the second term to such an extent that Southport could manage a solitary behind for the term, and that came deep in time-on.

Matt Fife was magnificent for the Cats off half-back, and he and Nathan Lyons teamed superbly on the outer flanks all day. With Jesse Derrick in everything and Dayne Zorko cutting up the Sharks, the home side went into the halftime break leading 9.10 to 3.1, with a big and vocal home crowd roaring its approval.

Most heartening for the Cats was that it wasn’t just the usual suspects mentioned above who piloted the huge lead, but newcomers Martin Curtis, Griffin Underwood, and Kallen Geary also shone and added great depth to the running brigade.

So good were the Cats runners that they needed just a single goal from star full-forward recruit Jason Eagle in the first half. Eagle had a strong duel with the equally robust Kurt Niklaus and while he finished with four goals for the day, honours were even in an entertaining contest.

At the other end, the impressive Nathan Quick constantly spoiled and ran off Southport gun Cleve Hughes, who appeared to still have problems with the ankle he injured last year.

By the final change it was 26 scoring shots to eight in the Cats’ favour, before the Sharks made the scoreboard more respectable in the final term.

Highly rated Southport ruck recruit Dan Weymouth was good for his side, although James Kennedy made him work particularly hard. Midfielders Matthew Payne and Adam Devine toiled hard for the Sharks and were not disgraced, but received little support.

Reigning Grogan Medalist Danny Wise started the game on the bench and had little influence, having recently returned from overseas.

On a positive note the reserve grade gave new coach Paul Marshall a great start to the year with a 16-10-106 to 5-8-38 victory.

Pettersson (4 goals),Mallan(2 goals),Salter(2 goals) Trevena(2 goals) & Laval(2 goals)  showed some real nice finishing touches and Milani worked his way back into the game playing tall forward after looking injured and gone early in the peace. 

In the under 18s the boys jumped out of the blocks to kick the first five goals only to get over run late by Broadbeach 9.8.62 to 6.4.40. Best Players were big rookie ruckman Dylan Quinn, midfielder Jackson Birch, backman Ty Fankhauser and forward Nicholas Crowley.

Glenn Screech will play his 100th senior game for Sharks this Sunday 3rd April 2011 at Broadbeach.

Glenn who is vice Captain of the football club is also a premiership player 2006 & 2008. People still recall Glenn’s Herculean effort in the 2006 grand final when he was assigned the role of curbing Zillmere rover Luke Crane’s involvement in the game.

Luke Crane has since gone on to win a Magarey medal (league best & fairest) in the highly rated SANFL competition.

The boys are keen to give Glenn a 100th that he will remember in what will be a very competitive first up assignment.

Glenn joins current players Darren O’Brien, Dane Carmody, Danny Wise, Adam Devine, Ben Merrett, and David James who have all achieved this milestone.

We wish Glenn all the best for Sunday’s game.

 

Former Southport Sharks premiership player Wayde Mills has agreed to terms with the Sharks for the next two seasons.
 
Mills who will be absent overseas until June 22nd this year, cited the return Norm Dare as coach as an important factor in his decision making after fielding offers from Labrador F.C.
 
Wayde who was drafted after his senior premiership success with Sharks in 2005 to Brisbane Lions at pick number 25 where he played 19 AFL games and seubsequently moved to Glenelg in the SANFL competition 2009 where he played two seasons culminating in him making the SANFL "Team of the year" two years running.
 
Wayde notched up 43 SANFL games in his two year stint for Glenelg and at 23 years of age is looking forward to assisting the Sharks to more success in the coming years.
 
Coach Norm Dare said Wayde who is 195cm and 92kg would be a welcome addition to the Sharks depth and add strength and composure to the Sharks backline after the departure of back line players Ben Caputi & Jason Bourke from last seasons roster.
 
All at the Sharks welcome Wayde back on board.

SHARKS MADE TO FIGHT

Saturday 26 June 2010

 

The lowly Western Magpies gave Southport a serious hit-out at Chelmer today, the Sharks' fast start proving fatal.

Southport got the early jump on the Western Magpies at Chelmer today but had to earn every kick thereafter as the competition leaders failed to kick 100 points for only the third time this season.
“They hit us hard and got good numbers around the footy,” Sharks coach Craig Crowley admitted afterwards.

“We turned the ball over a lot through their pressure…they were very competitive.”

Southport led 5.5 to 1.1 at the first break and a cricket score looked to be on the cards, but the home side were only outscored eight goals to four from there, eventually losing 13.17 (95) to 5.9 (39).

“We went inside 50 about  50-odd times and they went in 40-odd, so their midfield were good,” Crowley
Unfortunately for the Magpies, the Sharks defence was at its miserly best with Kurt Niklaus impassable and Glenn Screech and Adam Devine equally as good.

The midfield dominated early with Darren Pfeiffer and DannyWise continuing their outstanding form.
David James has also enjoyed a stellar season and apart from some scratchy ball use early was the Sharks’ best.

They peppered the goals in the opening term and missed a number of easy shots under little pressure, and were perhaps lulled into a false sense of security.

There was nothing forthcoming over the final three terms; however, as dogged Magpies onballer James Rozynski more than matched his five-star rivals.

With Mark Dowley doing the best job against Sharks full-forward ace Cleve Hughes this season, holding him to just two goals, and Ed McDonnell working overtime to help out in the back half, the Magpies provided a super contest.

Gerard Moore also repeatedly dropped back to fill the hole, making it difficult for the Sharks forwards to find any space.

They were aided by the fact that key leading forward Ben Merrett left the ground in the opening half hour with a bad cork, while Jason Bourke also was hurt early.

Southport debut former Broadbeach utility Brodie Grant and 17-year-old ruckman Fraser Thurlow, and Crowley was delighted with both.

“Brodie contributed pretty well and Fraser did really, really well,” Crowley said. “They deserved a chance because their form in the reserves demanded it.” said.

 

In the reserves the boys also had a fantastic win with Rex Liddy, Terry Knight, Zac Callinan Dane Grant, Brett Davis, Josh Clarke and Jethro Calma Holt all getting mentions in what was a strong team effort all round with the boys running out winners 17-20-122 to Western Magpies 8-8-56.

 

The under 18’s then combined on Sunday to beat Broadbeach at home 11-8-74 to 5-8-38.

 

The reserves and seniors now get ready this Saturday the 3rd of July 2010 at home versus Broadbeach 8.45am and 11am starts respectively prior to GCFC V Box Hill at 2pm.