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I was thinking about this the other day and figured someone like Mr Bods might be interested. One advantage Aussie rules has on the Gold Coast is a lack of perceived class divide with another sport. Rugby league is generally considered a working class game whereas rugby union is considered an elitist game. This is why a school like Keebra Park plays (and excels) in rugby league and another school like TSS plays rugby union, despite both schools being based in the Gold Coast suburb of Southport.
This isn't an issue for Australian rules football because there is no upper/lower class alternative. Last year we saw Jack Bowes make his way on to the Gold Coast list via private school St Augustine's in Cairns. This year we'll see Brayden Crossley getting drafted to the Suns from PBC state high and next year we'll (most likely) see Bailey Scott drafted out of a private school called St Andrews. This has been the case for decades with Gold Coast private school boys Nick Riewoldt (All Saints), Kurt Tippett (All Saints) and Clark Keating (TSS) mixing it with state school boys Dayne Beams (PBC), Daniel Merrett (Benowa) and Marcus Ashcroft (Merrimac). Those are just a few examples.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that Aussie rules doesn't have to deal with the class divide that hinders recruitment in the two rugby codes. I feel this is quite a big advantage for the Suns at the junior level because school kids in Brisbane and Sydney will experience more social pressure from their school, peers and family to pick a code that suits their socioeconomic background.
This isn't an issue for Australian rules football because there is no upper/lower class alternative. Last year we saw Jack Bowes make his way on to the Gold Coast list via private school St Augustine's in Cairns. This year we'll see Brayden Crossley getting drafted to the Suns from PBC state high and next year we'll (most likely) see Bailey Scott drafted out of a private school called St Andrews. This has been the case for decades with Gold Coast private school boys Nick Riewoldt (All Saints), Kurt Tippett (All Saints) and Clark Keating (TSS) mixing it with state school boys Dayne Beams (PBC), Daniel Merrett (Benowa) and Marcus Ashcroft (Merrimac). Those are just a few examples.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that Aussie rules doesn't have to deal with the class divide that hinders recruitment in the two rugby codes. I feel this is quite a big advantage for the Suns at the junior level because school kids in Brisbane and Sydney will experience more social pressure from their school, peers and family to pick a code that suits their socioeconomic background.
