Pomona footballer Rhys Magin hopes a Gold Coast lifeline can revive his AFL career after he was delisted by Essendon recently.
Magin was informed by Bombers head coach Matthew Knights and football operations manager Paul Hamilton that his time in the red and black was finished after two seasons at Windy Hill.
The 20-year-old played four senior matches for Essendon lat last year.
The midfielder now plans to nominate for the pre-season draft and accept an offer to attend Gold Coast’s pre-season training from November 9.
His younger brother Alik signed a contract with the new kids on the AFL block earlier this year.
“I’m going to do that and see how that goes,” Magin said yesterday.
“If they’re keen they might pick me up, but I’m not getting ahead of myself. It would be really good to train with Alik and play with him.”
Magin is the third Sunshine Coast rookie lister in two years to be shown the door by an AFL club.
Brisbane Lion Daniel Dzufer suffered the same fate this year while Fremantle severed ties with fellow Caloundra product Chris Smith at the end of 2008.
He is also the second Coast player to be delisted by Essendon after Austin Lucy parted ways with the club after the 2005 season.
Magin is using his handful of appearances late last year as motivation to continue his AFL career at a different club.
“I had a meeting with them two Fridays ago, and basically they said they weren’t going to put me on the senior list,” he said.
“It did take me by surprise a little bit and I was disappointed, but after a few days when it sunk in I thought to myself, ‘I have to move on now.’
“that just gives me the inspiration I needed, playing those four games. I just want to play more. I’ll keep striving to be the best I can and play in the AFL.”
AFL Sunshine Coast Development Manager Mark Kennedy is optimistic a number of local players are legitimate prospects to be picked up in November’s draft.
The like of Todd Grayson, Jake Crawford, Trent Manzone and Nathan Spring have featured in the Gold Coast system this year, while Aaron Laskey and Sam Panoho starred for Queensland in its recent successful under-16 national titles campaign.
“We’re pretty confident we have a couple of kids from 18s down to 14s that have the scope to play at that level,” Kennedy said.
“There’s a lot of talent there, but it does ebb and flow from year to year.”
Coast Connection
Local players who have featured on an AFL club’s list:
· Josh Drummond (Brisbane): 65 games 2005-present
· Nathan Clarke (Brisbane): 31 games 2000-01
· Sam Reid (Western Bulldogs): 5 games 2008-present
· Rhys Magin (Essendon): 4 games 2008
· Daniel Dzufer (Brisbane): 1 game 2007
· Chris Smith (Fremantle): no games 2007-08
· Austin Lucy (Essendon): no games 2005
Article written by John Tuxworth at the Sunshine Coast Daily.
Website Editor