Fieldsy moves south
When you win a flag, you become a hot commodity, even if you didn’t actually pull the boots on. Jarrod Field, the Labrador Football Manager, and the man who made it all tick behind the scenes will pull on a different set of colours next year. After a long and dedicated stint at Cooke-Murphy Oval, Field has been pinched by Southport as the footy manager of their NEAFL side for 2016.
New deal a no brainer
Bring awarded the QWAFL/QWAFA Coach of the Year while taking your team to a QWAFL prelim final is a pretty handy first year in the gig, and he is certainly not done yet. Yeronga QWAFL Coach Scott Stephens will lead the charge at Leyshon Park for at least another year, after being reappointed as coach for 2016. If Yeronga are able to add a touch of polish to their list this off-season, they will be a real handful next year for everyone.
The champ is going nowhere
When it comes to getting a bloke to sign on the dotted line, Labrador would have had Adam Clarke at the very top of their list as soon as curtains were called on the 2015 season. Luckily for them, they have got their man. Clarke’s signature at Labrador for the 2016 season tops off a big couple of weeks. He’s won a flag, took out the club Best and Fairest Award, was named as the top dog in the QAFL Top 50 Players of 2015, and now, he has locked in his 2016 plans. This is a big, big step towards their hopes of back to back flags.
Owens going again
The 2016 QAFL coaching jigsaw is starting to slot into place, with another coach singed sealed and delivered for next year. Chad Owens, who was at the helm of the Palm Beach team that just missed out on finals by a couple of percentage points, has committed to going around again for another year. The Lions look set to be pretty active during the off-season as well, so stay tuned for a couple of key singings over the next couple of weeks.
AFL flavour to Youth Girls Champs
When the AFL Queensland Under 17 Youth Girls State Championships rolls into Yeronga from this Thursday, there will be a certain assistant coach parting some AFL wisdom on the Sunshine Coast team. Brisbane Lions player Jono Freeman, who’s sister Bella will be one of the stars of the tournament, has been working closely with the Storm in the lead up to the event, and will be on the Sunshine Coast bench across the championships.
By Andrew Wiles – @andrewjwiles
