By Barry Gibson
RELATED: Davey to coach North Queensland
South Queensland will head into their seventh intrastate clash against North Queensland with former St Kilda and Brisbane Bears player Danny Craven again at the helm.
Having stepped into the head coaching role in 2016, Craven has led the southerners with aplomb, notching up four consecutive wins.
With a wealth of coaching experience at all levels of football, Craven has excelled in his four years in charge, having created a representative program that players buy into.
Experienced coach Rory Lake will again be Craven’s right hand man, having also been on the coaching staff for the past four years.
This year’s coaching staff will have a genuine premiership winning feel to it, with 2019 QFA Division 1 Hart Sport Cup Premiership coach Adam Bovalino from Noosa coming on board along with Bond University’s QFA Division 2 premiership coach, Sam Whish-Wilson also joining the coaching ranks of South Queensland.
AFL Queensland’s State Manager – Senior Football, Barry Gibson, said Craven’s reappointment was testament to the outstanding job he had done over the past four years.
“Danny has been exceptional since joining the program in 2016,” Gibson said.
“His passion for the program is infectious and the results speak for themselves.”
Craven will be pitted against former Melbourne AFL star Aaron Davey, who will lead North Queensland for the first time and no doubt keen to break SQ’s recent domination.
Davey will be supported by Curra Swans coach Jamie Fogg and newly appointed Cairns Saints mentor, Wes Glass. A further assistant coach will be announced in the coming weeks, while experienced AFL coach, Peter German, will fill the newly created role as coach mentor.
With the score line locked at 4-2 in SQ’s favour, the two teams will go head to head at Southport’s Fankhauser Reserve on June 27 at 3pm.
The match will be a curtain closer to the NEAFL clash between Southport and Redland at midday.
