Gold Coast launches ambitious plan to poach superstars

[Rocket Science]

Gold Coast launches ambitious plan to poach superstars

Andrew Hamilton | April 01, 2009 12:00am

GEELONG champion Gary Ablett is the confirmed No. 1 target of the Gold Coast team.

Football director Graeme Downie made the bold claim after the club was awarded the 17th AFL licence yesterday, which came as a complete surprise to some media.

Ablett, Lance Franklin and Nick Riewoldt, who come out of contract at the end of 2010, are firmly in the Gold Coast's sights.

Under the AFL's list building concessions, the club can sign one uncontracted player from each of the 16 clubs.

"My view is you go for the best player," Downie said. "Any club would love to have Gary Ablett, he is an amazing player. Everyone says how good his father was. I'd have Gary before his father."

The Gold Coast's core philosophy will be to build a team from the ground up with younger players.

But Downie has drawn on his experiences with the Brisbane Bears and Lions to demand recruiter Scott Clayton find a leadership core of between five and eight players in their mid-20s with about 150 games' experience.

He has ruled out players in their late 20s or 30s, but an exception would be made for Riewoldt, a local hero who has been earmarked as the side's first captain.

Clayton has already presented leading player agents with an ambitious recruiting plan the club says can deliver a premiership to the region in 2014 - its fourth year in the competition.

"Scott Clayton's main focus seems to be ensuring every player in the competition is out of contract at the end of 2010," Downie said. "If it works out, we'll have a few to choose from."

It is believed Clayton, the ex-Bulldogs football manager, favours Bulldogs Ryan Griffen and Adam Cooney, and Collingwood's Scott Pendlebury.

Former Queenslanders Brent Renouf (Hawks), Ricky Pettard (Melbourne) and Gavin Urquhart (Kangaroos) are also on the radar.

Downie said the club's next appointment would be a football manager.

AFLQ chief executive Richard Griffiths, a former Melbourne football department head, and assistant coach and former Lions football administration manager Marcus Ashcroft are contenders.

WHAT THE CLUB GETS

17-team league from 2011 means a bye each week

Gold Coast will have access to one uncontracted player per club at the end of the 2010 season

In the 2010 national draft, Gold Coast will have the first pick in each round. In the first round, it will have picks 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 and 15

Via the 2009 national draft, Gold Coast will be able to sign 12 17-year-olds

In the 2009 rookie draft, Gold Coast will have selections 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

AFL commitment: $100m over 6 years

Salary Cap: 2011 $9.21m ($1m more than rival clubs), 2012 ($800,000 more), 2013 ($600,000 more), 2014 ($400,000 more)

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While I'd argue their concessions are bloody excessive, and their logo is heinous, you'd expect the footy media will flog this "they're coming to get your stars" line like a rented mule for the next two years.

Certainly lends added interest to our individual contract negotiations over the next 12-24 months.

[The Coon Dog]

Negotiating with player managers over the next few years is going to be an absolute nightmare. The key in my view to retaining good players is having a culture of success where your guns just say, 'I want to stay at this footy club' as Lance Franklin did yesterday.

[BulldogBelle]

Negotiating with player managers over the next few years is going to be an absolute nightmare. The key in my view to retaining good players is having a culture of success where your guns just say, 'I want to stay at this footy club' as Lance Franklin did yesterday.

We just have to be succesful and hope the players want to stay around the club.

Here's hoping.

[Mantis]

Both Adam & Ryan have stated in the past that they want to be one club players, let's hope they are true to their word.

Watching both in action on Sunday was mouth-watering, if they stick around they will rip sides apart for the next 6 to 8 years.

[BulldogBelle]

When most expansion clubs of recent times started, they didnt land many superstars

Ie Port got Wanganeen (Brownlow meadalist)......Freo got no one (maybe Allen + Mann but no superstars)

Who wants to put a premiership at risk and run to a fleding club that wont play finals for 4-5 years

Am sure the GC will land one very decent star, but it wont be someone of Cooney/Griffins ilk

[The Underdog]

Not meaning to get all philosophical, but if Adam Cooney plays football on the Gold Coast and nobody's there to see it, does he really play at all.

[Go_Dogs]

Both Adam & Ryan have stated in the past that they want to be one club players, let's hope they are true to their word.

Watching both in action on Sunday was mouth-watering, if they stick around they will rip sides apart for the next 6 to 8 years.

Yes, both have stated how happy they are at the Bulldogs. I don't see that changing in the near future.

If this group wants to become very, very successful they need to stick together. Hopefully they can all see that, and see that the success is not far off.

[Rocket Science]

Both Adam & Ryan have stated in the past that they want to be one club players, let's hope they are true to their word.

Watching both in action on Sunday was mouth-watering, if they stick around they will rip sides apart for the next 6 to 8 years.

There was a brief but exhilarating passage of play last Sunday midway through the 1stQ where Griffen and Cooney, both flying in top gear, linked up while streaming forward and consequently goaled, the passage demonstrated with such lethal brilliance you could almost see the Freo players spectating while thinking "Wow".

The 'one-club player' line tends to roll off the tongue a little too easily for mine especially when they're south of 25 where so many future factors can play into that scenario (individual and team form, player manager attitudes, etc) but you can only take blokes at face value I suppose.

I just hope someone at the club has some compromising photos of Scotty Clayton somewhere.

[DOG GOD]

Time will tell i guess. Some players play for their team mates and the jumper. Others play for money. Will be interesting to see what our players and others for that matter decide. Don't be suprised if Hahn and Williams is also on the radar there somewhere (and any other queenslander we have).

[Mantis]

There was a brief but exhilarating passage of play last Sunday midway through the 1stQ where Griffen and Cooney, both flying in top gear, linked up while streaming forward and consequently goaled, the passage demonstrated with such lethal brilliance you could almost see the Freo players spectating while thinking "Wow".

I certainly did (say wow), as did the other people I was watching the game with. Many of these fine chaps hate us, but couldn't be more impressed by watching these 2 in action.

[Desipura]

Time will tell i guess. Some players play for their team mates and the jumper. Others play for money. Will be interesting to see what our players and others for that matter decide. Don't be suprised if Hahn and Williams is also on the radar there somewhere (and any other queenslander we have).

With all due respect, I would not be overly disapponited to lose Hahn in 2 years time.
A fit Williams on the other hand would be a different story.............

[hujsh]

I don't quite get how the 'one uncontracted player from each club' bit works. Does it mean they can just offer them a contract without the regular or pre-season draft being involved?

[The Coon Dog]

I don't quite get how the 'one uncontracted player from each club' bit works. Does it mean they can just offer them a contract without the regular or pre-season draft being involved?

I heard Scott Clayton this morning describe it as a limited form of free agency. If an uncontracted player elects to join GC17, then a panel assess (no idea who) what form of compensation is paid, taking into account the players age, where he was drafted, his salary, performance in the clubs B & F etc...

[LostDoggy]

I hate this Gold Coast team already.

[hujsh]

I heard Scott Clayton this morning describe it as a limited form of free agency. If an uncontracted player elects to join GC17, then a panel assess (no idea who) what form of compensation is paid, taking into account the players age, where he was drafted, his salary, performance in the clubs B & F etc...

Sounds like bad news for us.