# 2009 Gold Coast Football Club season

The 2009 Gold Coast Football Club season was the club's inaugural season. It competed in the 2009 TAC Cup season beginning on 4 April 2009, just five days after the club was granted a provisional licence to enter the Australian Football League (AFL) in 2011.
Gold Coast did not yet have a nickname, and it was not until July 2010 that th club would be known as the "Suns".

## Background

Gold Coast Football Club Ltd was registered with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission on 24 December 2007 by the Australian Football League. On 12 March 2008, the AFL received unanimous support from the existing 16 clubs for two expansion teams to enter the league.
Collingwood assistant coach Guy McKenna was officially announced as GC17's inaugural head coach in August 2008. On 5 September, the bid team announced the club would be known as the Gold Coast Football Club and would wear red, gold and blue.
In October 2008, the GCFC bid team presented their submission to the AFL commission which included 42,000 committed supporters and the required 111 business partners. The AFL Commission revealed in November that the newly formed team would compete in the TAC Cup in 2009 and the Victorian Football League (VFL) in 2010, but had not yet been granted an AFL licence.
On 31 March 2009, AFL Chief Executive Andrew Demetriou announced that the Gold Coast bid team had been granted a provisional licence to enter the AFL in 2011. By this time, Gold Coast had already played two official practice matches.

## Season summary

Gold Coast scheduled a practice match against the reigning QAFL premiers Southport Sharks in the buildup to their first game in the TAC Cup. The Gold Coast would go down to the Sharks 6.3 (39) to 3.5 (23) at Carrara Stadium. Marc Lock was named as the first captain of the club just days before their first round clash with the Eastern Ranges in the TAC Cup. The club lost their first round clash with the Rangers by 38 points at Carrara Stadium.
The following week, the Gold Coast recorded their first ever victory during a 134-point annihilation of the Western Jets. The team went on to record 10 wins in their following 15 matches. The results would see the Gold Coast finish fifth on the ladder and earn them a spot in the finals. A top of the table clash in the last round saw Gold Coast miss a crucial double chance for the finals with a loss to the Geelong Falcons. Gold Coast would come out victorious in their elimination final against the Northern Knights, but their dream season came to an end the following week in a semi-final loss to the Geelong Falcons.

## Results

* Rd
* Home team
* Score
* Away team
* Score
* Ground
* Date
* 1
* Gold Coast
* 9.10 (64)
* def by
* Eastern Ranges
* 16.6 (102)
* Carrara Stadium
* Saturday, 4 April
* 2
* Western Jets
* 5.5 (35)
* def by
* Gold Coast
* 26.13 (169)
* Burbank Oval
* Sunday, 12 April
* 3
* Bye
* 4
* Tassie Mariners
* 4.5 (29)
* drew with
* Gold Coast
* 3.11 (29)
* MCG
* Sunday, 26 April
* 5
* Calder Cannons
* 18.11 (119)
* def
* Gold Coast
* 15.13 (103)
* ABD Group Stadium
* Sunday, 3 May
* 6
* Gold Coast
* 12.7 (79)
* def
* Gippsland Power
* 12.5 (77)
* Carrara Stadium
* Saturday, 9 May
* 7
* Gold Coast
* 9.11 (65)
* def
* Dandenong Stingrays
* 8.12 (60)
* Carrara Stadium
* Saturday, 16 May
* 8
* Gold Coast
* 10.9 (69)
* def by
* NSW/ACT Rams
* 14.10 (94)
* Carrara Stadium
* Saturday, 23 May
* 9
* Gold Coast
* 7.13 (55)
* def
* Oakleigh Chargers
* 7.10 (52)
* Carrara Stadium
* Saturday, 30 May
* 10
* Gold Coast
* 10.17 (77)
* def
* North Ballarat Rebels
* 11.4 (70)
* Carrara Stadium
* Saturday, 13 June
* 11
* Tassie Mariners
* 16.14 (110)
* def
* Gold Coast
* 7.6 (48)
* Aurora Stadium
* Saturday, 20 June
* 12
* Bye
* 13
* Gold Coast
* 5.8 (38)
* def by
* Murray Bushrangers
* 14.9 (93)
* Carrara Stadium
* Saturday, 4 July
* 14
* Gold Coast
* 13.16 (94)
* def
* Northern Knights
* 10.6 (66)
* Carrara Stadium
* Saturday, 11 July
* 15
* Gold Coast
* 13.16 (94)
* def
* Western Jets
* 10.6 (66)
* Carrara Stadium
* Saturday, 18 July
* 16
* North Ballarat Rebels
* 8.14 (62)
* def
* Gold Coast
* 7.6 (48)
* Northern Oval
* Saturday, 26 July
* 17
* Gold Coast
* 15.16 (106)
* def
* Sandringham Dragons
* 8.2 (50)
* Carrara Stadium
* Sunday, 2 August
* 18
* Gold Coast
* 12.14 (86)
* def
* Bendigo Pioneers
* 6.11 (47)
* Carrara Stadium
* Saturday, 15 August
* 19
* Gippsland Power
* 10.9 (69)
* def by
* Gold Coast
* 12.14 (86)
* Visy Park
* Sunday, 23 August
* 20
* Gold Coast
* 6.14 (50)
* def by
* Geelong Falcons
* 14.7 (91)
* Carrara Stadium
* Saturday, 29 August
* Elim Final
* Gold Coast
* 10.17 (77)
* def
* Northern Knights
* 9.9 (63)
* Visy Park
* Saturday, 5 September
* Semi Final
* Gold Coast
* 5.9 (39)
* def by
* Geelong Falcons
* 11.14 (80)
* Visy Park
* Sunday, 13 September
Source:

## 2009 playing squad

33 players were named on the Gold Coast list in 2009, with Marc Lock as the inaugural captain.

### Inaugural team (Round 1, 2009)

| B: | Hamish Watts | James Nelis | Daniel Ramage |
| HB: | Jake Crawford | Matt Storey | Jesse Haberfield |
| C: | Joseph Daye | Josh Thomas | Todd Grayson |
| HF: | Taylor Rolfe | Matt Fowler | Luke Shreeve |
| F: | Rory Thompson | Liam Rutledge | Alik Magin |
| Foll: | Zac Smith | Marc Lock (c) | Mitch Harley |
| Int: | Declan Bevan | Brad Rees | Jack Stanlake |
| Int: | Nick Price | Tyler Green | |
| Coach: | Guy McKenna | Guy McKenna | Guy McKenna |