Southport Australian Football Club

Southport Australian Football Club (nicknamed The Sharks) is a Gold Coast based club competing in the NEAFL Australian rules football competition.

Southport
Names
Full nameSouthport Australian Rules Football Club
Club details
Founded1961 (1961)
CompetitionNEAFL
PresidentAlan Mackenzie
CoachStephen Daniel
Captain(s)Andrew Boston and Seb Tape
Ground(s)Fankhauser Reserve (capacity: 8,000)
Uniforms
Home
Other information
Official websitesouthportsharks.com.au

Southport has claim to be the most successful ever Queensland based AFL club with a total of 13 premierships in only 26 years.

The club has been involved in Australian Football League licence bids since 1996. To date none of these bids have been granted, however the AFL began taking interest in 2006 with pushes to merge Southport with a Melbourne-based AFL club.

Southport Sharks joined the NEAFL competition in 2011. As of 2016, the current competition consists of the following sides: Southport Sharks, Aspley Hornets, Redland Bombers, NT Thunder, Sydney University Students, Canberra Demons, Gold Coast Suns, Brisbane Lions, Sydney Swans, Greater Western Sydney Giants.

History
See also: History of Australian rules football on the Gold Coast

Formation and early years (1961–1982)

On 22 May 1961, the Southport Australian Football Club was formed and six days later the first training session was held at Labrador Sports Oval. It was revealed on 7 June 1961 that the club would be known on as the Southport Magpies and would wear a black and white vertical striped jumper similar to the Collingwood Football Club. In front of 1,000 spectators, Southport played their first ever game against Centrals Football Club on 25 June 1961. Southport came out victorious in their first outing 8.10.58 to Central's 6.11.47. They would then go on to win the first ever Gold Coast Australian Football League premiership with a 13-point victory over Ipswich on 25 September 1961.

With the expansion of the Gold Coast Australian Football League starting in 1962, Southport moved their home ground to Owen Park. Southport won back-to-back premierships in the first two years of the Gold Coast Australian Football League, defeating Currumbin by 53 points to win their second premiership. Following a series of local premierships, the club applied for entry into the Queensland Australian Football League in July 1981. Twelve months later, the Queensland Australian Football League officially accepted Southport's entry application for the 1983 season. In their last game as part of the Gold Coast Football League, the Southport Magpies fell in the Grand Final to Coolangatta by 28 points. The disappointment of the Grand Final loss was short lived as the rebranding from the Southport Magpies to the Southport Sharks began. The strip was changed to a black V on a white background to avoid an identity conflict with the Sherwood Magpies, who later became the Western Magpies. The decision as to which club would retain the "Magpies" moniker was made by the toss of a coin.

New competition and dominance (1983–1999)

Upon entrance into the Queensland Australian Football League (QAFL), the newly formed Southport Sharks were given little chance of success against the predominantly Brisbane based competition. In their first game of the 1983 season, the Sharks walked away winners with a victory over the Western Districts. They would compile a 12-6 win-loss record during the home and away season. The Sharks going undefeated through the 1983 finals series and would win the Grand Final by 13 points over Morningside. The Sharks would continue to prove themselves through the 80s with another three premierships added to their trophy cabinet as well as two runners-up. Early in 1989, the Sharks moved their headquarters to their current ground Fankhauser Reserve.

The club continued their dominance with an unbeaten season in 1990 but the club's financial woes were a big issue following a Grand Final loss in 1991. The club almost abandoned the QAFL late in 1991 to re-enter the Gold Coast Australian Football League, but Queensland's introduction of poker machines would secure the financial future of the Sharks. By 1995 the Sharks had reached 20,000 members began to lead the charge for a second Queensland team entering the Australian Football League. In 1996, the Sharks made their first bid to the AFL for inclusion in the national league, which was rejected by the AFL in favour of the Port Adelaide Football Club's elevation from the SANFL. After which, the club continued to lobby for a licence.

Following the AFL's rejection of the Sharks into the national league, the Sharks would set out to prove just how good they really were. The team would win three premierships in a row in 1997, 1998 and 1999 to finish off the millennium with success. In 1999 the Sharks were able to poach future St Kilda Saints star Nick Riewoldt from their cross-town rivals Broadbeach Cats, although Riewoldt would not compete for the Sharks senior side until 2000.

New Millennium and More Dominance (2000-2010)

The Sharks would enter the 2000 season as the raging favourites to take out a fourth consecutive premiership. Soon to be number 1 AFL draft pick Nick Riewoldt would play a huge role in their Grand Final victory over the Northern Eagles. Riewoldt would be kept virtually touchless in the first half when matching up against future Brisbane Lions player Jamie Charman. Riewoldt was moved to ruck and would go on to kick two goals in the Sharks Grand Final victory. The four consecutive premierships would be Southport's last taste of success for five years as the club entered a rebuilding phase. Former AFL player Paul Dimattina pulled on the Sharks guernsey in 2005 and would lead the team to their first premiership in five years. The Sharks would continue their success with another three Grand Finals between 2006-2008 in which the Sharks would come away with two more premierships. In November 2010 it was announced the Sharks would be joining the newly formed North East Australian Football League which included four AFL reserves sides and local teams spread throughout Canberra, New South Wales, Northern Territory and Queensland.

Entry into the NEAFL (2011)

The Sharks put together a 9–9 win-loss record in the 2011 NEAFL season but missed the finals series by percentage, their first non-finals season ever. The Sharks finished the 2012 NEAFL season with a 14–4 win-loss record and were placed third on the ladder. In the qualifying final, the Sharks fell to the Brisbane Lions reserves team but recorded their first NEAFL finals victory over Redland the following week. The Sharks faced the Northern Territory Thunder in the preliminary finals but lost by 37 points.

The club won its first NEAFL premiership in controversial circumstances in 2018, defeating Sydney reserves in the Grand Final. Southport dominated the game, and led 12.4 (76) to 2.4 (16) at three-quarter, but then accidentally sent nineteen men onto the field to start the final quarter. Sydney called for a head count after twenty seconds and the extra man was discovered, which would traditionally have resulted in Southport's score being re-set to zero for the final quarter; however, officials determined that since the breach had an immaterial effect on the game, Southport would retain its score and the only penalty would be a free kick and fifty metre penalty, resulting in one Sydney goal. Southport went on to win 14.6 (90) to 5.5. (35).[1]

Rivalries

Broadbeach

One of the most intense rivalries in local Queensland football exists between the neighbouring clubs in the form of the Sharks and the Broadbeach Cats and stretches back to their first meeting in 1971. Matches between the two teams generally result in a larger audience and a heated contest on the field. As of the completion of the 2013 NEAFL season, the win-loss record between the two clubs stands at 70-10 in favour of the Sharks. The Cats were removed from the North East Australian Football League at the conclusion of the 2013 season which has resulted in the rivalry not continuing at the senior level.

Premierships (22)
No. Year Competition Opponent Score Venue
11961GCAFLIpswich9.12 (66) - 7.11 (53)Labrador Sports Ground
21962GCAFLCurrumbin Lions9.18 (72) - 2.7 (19)Labrador Sports Ground
31966GCAFLSurfers Paradise Demons14.24 (108) - 7.16 (58)Salk Oval
41975GCAFLCoolangatta Blues26.16 (172) - 17.16 (118)Salk Oval
51976GCAFLBroadbeach Cats14.11 (95) - 9.14 (68)Salk Oval
61977GCAFLCoolangatta Blues22.18 (150) - 13.9 (87)Salk Oval
71979GCAFLCoolangatta Blues17.16 (118) - 16.19 (115)Salk Oval
81980GCAFLPalm Beach Currumbin Lions17.18 (120) - 15.8 (98)Salk Oval
91983QAFLMorningside Panthers13.12 (90) - 12.5 (77)Windsor Park
101985QAFLMayne Tigers11.8 (74) - 10.11 (71)Windsor Park
111987QAFLWindsor-Zillmere Eagles13.17 (75) - 11.6 (72)Windsor Park
121989QAFLWindsor-Zillmere Eagles16.17 (113) - 12.5 (77)Brisbane Cricket Ground
131990QAFLMorningside Panthers22.14 (146) - 12.15 (87)Brisbane Cricket Ground
141992QAFLMorningside Panthers14.19 (94) - 12.9 (80)Brisbane Cricket Ground
151997QSFLMount Gravatt Vultures26.13 (169) - 11.9 (75)Windsor Park
161998QSFLMorningside Panthers12.15 (87) - 11.10 (76)Giffin Park
171999QSFLNorth Brisbane Eagles15.14 (104) - 9.7 (61)Giffin Park
182000QAFLNorth Brisbane Eagles10.8 (68) - 8.11 (59)Giffin Park
192005QAFLMorningside Panthers16.15 (11) - 6.14 (50)Brisbane Cricket Ground
202006QAFLZillmere Eagles17.14 (116) - 16.8 (104)Carrara Stadium
212008QAFLMorningside Panthers18.7 (115) - 15.17 (107)Carrara Stadium
222018NEAFLSydney Swans Reserves14.6 (90) - 5.5 (35)Fankhauser Reserve

Club song

The Southport Sharks club song was sung to the tune of Goodbye Dolly Gray.

Grogan Medallists

QAFL Top Goalkickers
  • R. McKay (85) – 1998
  • R. McKay (66) – 1999
  • R. McKay (79) – 2000
  • B. McEntee (119) – 2004
  • B. McEntee (84) – 2005
  • B. McEntee (100) – 2007
  • B. McEntee (66) – 2008

Drafted players in the AFL/VFL
YearNameTeamDraft No.
1987Darren CarlsonBrisbane BearsQLD Zone Selection
1988Marcus AshcroftBrisbane BearsQLD Zone Selection
1989Matthew KennedyBrisbane BearsQLD Zone Selection
1990Corey BellBrisbane BearsQLD Zone Selection
1990Steven McLuckieBrisbane BearsQLD Zone Selection
1991Brent GreenBrisbane BearsQLD Zone Selection
1994Steven LawrenceBrisbane BearsQLD Zone Selection
1997Marc WoolnoughGeelong Cats29th
2000Nick RiewoldtSt Kilda Saints1st
2002Daniel MerrettBrisbane Lions30th
2003Andrew RainesRichmond Tigers76th
2004Brad MoranNorth Melbourne Kangaroos- 58th
2004Leigh RyswykBrisbane Lions- (rookie)
2005Sam GilbertSt Kilda Saints33rd
2005Wayde MillsBrisbane Lions25th
2006Haydn KielBrisbane Lions48th (rookie)
2006Brent RenoufHawthorn Hawks24th
2006Joel TippettBrisbane Lions57th (rookie)
2006Kurt TippettAdelaide Crows32nd
2006Jesse WhiteSydney Swans79th
2008Dayne BeamsCollingwood Magpies29th
2009Broc McCauleyBrisbane Lions78th (rookie)
2010Joseph DayeGold Coast SunsQLD Zone Selection
2010Marc LockGold Coast SunsQLD Zone Selection
2010Jack StanlakeGold Coast SunsQLD Zone Selection
2010Rory ThompsonGold Coast SunsQLD Zone Selection
2014Lachie WellerFremantle Dockers13th
2018Tom WilkinsonNorth Melbourne Kangaroos41st (rookie)

AFL/VFL players

There are list of past and present Southport players who have played at AFL/VFL:

gollark: You can tell, because it says `chrome-extension://whatever` in the URL.
gollark: That's from an extension.
gollark: How can you say no to *graphs*?!
gollark: And graphs! https://status.osmarks.tk/
gollark: We have greater than 50% uptime!

References
  1. Ben Collins (17 September 2018). "Player count drama in SANFL, NEAFL finals". Australian Football League. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
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