Toast Welcome to the Suns, Max Knobel

[Jen2310]

This is like the Greenwood in reserve. The fates align eventually.

 

[Jen2310]

Bailey is happy he is reunited with his old teammate

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[Ben Drever]

Bailey is happy he is reunited with his old teammate

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Bailey, tell us your training with the midfield group, without telling us you are.

 

[GC2015]

Really like this pick up. Getting one back on Freo for the Sharp situation is great, but most aren't aware that Max actually lived on the Gold Coast for a portion of his life. His father, Trent Knobel

Trent Knobel

Age

45

Ht

204cm

Wt

105kg

Pos.

Ruck

Career

Season

Last 5

D

5.8

1star

K

2.1

1star

HB

3.7

3star

HO

15.4

5star

No current season stats available

D

1.8

1star

K

0.8

1star

HB

1.0

2star

HO

7.4

5star

, is a Gold Coast product (Surfers Paradise Demons junior) who played 75 AFL games for the Lions, Saints & Tigers and was a bit of a star in the pool in his younger years at Benowa High when he used to race against (and beat) the likes of Grant Hackett when they were both swimming prodigies on the Gold Coast. Trent came back to the Gold Coast in 2008 to play for Labrador when his AFL career ended and he brought 3 year old Max with him. They stayed until Max was 10 years old and then moved to Maffra in country Victoria. So there's a good chance Max played his first junior footy on the Gold Coast (Labrador most likely).

This acquisition continues our streak of picking up players with Gold Coast connections like Sam Clohesy last year. Also great to get a Gold Coast footy family back here and at the Suns specifically. Hopefully Max has more luck playing for us in the VFL than he did playing for Peel in the WAFL.

 

[RowellAnderson12]

Really like this pick up. Getting one back on Freo for the Sharp situation is great, but most aren't aware that Max actually lived on the Gold Coast for a portion of his life. His father, Trent Knobel, is a Gold Coast product (Surfers Paradise Demons junior) who played 75 AFL games for the Lions, Saints & Tigers and was a bit of a star in the pool in his younger years at Benowa High when he used to race against (and beat) the likes of Grant Hackett when they were both swimming prodigies on the Gold Coast. Trent came back to the GC in 2008 to play for Labrador when his AFL career ended and he brought 2 year old Max with him. They stayed until 2014 when he moved to Maffra.

This acquisition continues our streak of picking up players with Gold Coast connections like Sam Clohesy last year. Also great to get a Gold Coast footy family back here and at the Suns specifically. Hopefully Max has more luck playing for us in the VFL than he did playing in the WAFL.

I did see a freo poster say he played with Trent in QLD. Then i also had a laugh with their melts, incredible that they don't realise they are a 30 year old Gold Coast with PURPLE

 

[MarcLocksCrustySock]

I did see a freo poster say he played with Trent in QLD. Then i also had a laugh with their melts, incredible that they don't realise they are a 30 year old Gold Coast with PURPLE

I'm a sucker for purple as a colour but Freo don't do anything nice with it so in response to your comment I enjoy a LOL.

 

[GC2015]

“Max is a player we have tracked closely since his draft year and also monitored his progress in the WAFL for Peel Thunder where he’s continued to develop.”

I found that quote interesting. I guess we've been aware of Max since his younger days due to the Gold Coast connection with his father and perhaps there was always the hope that we might be able to bring him home one day... and that day ended up being yesterday. Max has done a fair apprenticeship over the last two years training with the likes of Luke Jackson and Sean Darcy so that should hold him in good sted. Realistically, he'll come into the team as a 3rd or 4th string ruck behind Witts, Moyle and Read/Andrew. Although it would appear that he also played forward/back for Gippsland in his junior footy days and used his 206cm frame well to outmark his opponents:

I did see a freo poster say he played with Trent in QLD.

Even our reserves players would've played against Trent Knobel in the early days of the NEAFL when Labrador was in the league:

 

[Jen2310]

“Max is a player we have tracked closely since his draft year and also monitored his progress in the WAFL for Peel Thunder where he’s continued to develop.”

I found that quote interesting. I guess we've been aware of Max since his younger days due to the Gold Coast connection with his father and perhaps there was always the hope that we might be able to bring him home one day... and that day ended up being yesterday. Max has done a fair apprenticeship over the last two years training with the likes of Luke Jackson and Sean Darcy so that should hold him in good sted. Realistically, he'll come into the team as a 3rd or 4th string ruck behind Witts, Moyle and Read/Andrew. Although it would appear that he also played forward/back for Gippsland in his junior footy days and used his 206cm frame well to outmark his opponents:




Even our reserves players would've played against Trent Knobel in the early days of the NEAFL when Labrador was in the league:

As a ruck I imagine he'll be ahead of andrews/Read. But have witts/Moyle, so he'll need to add a 2nd position to get into the team until Witts is done.

 

[GC2015]

As a ruck I imagine he'll be ahead of andrews/Read. But have witts/Moyle, so he'll need to add a 2nd position to get into the team until Witts is done.

Hard to tell until we get some training reports, but it seems like there hasn't been a big push to play either Andrew or Read in the ruck to date and both have spent most of their careers either playing forward or back (so far). So I guess you could say Knobel is likely our 3rd string ruckman as of right now and will therefore probably start the 2025 season playing back up ruck behind Moyle in the VFL. So yeah, he'll probably have to play the majority of his game time as a resting ruck in either the forward or back line at the beginning of his Suns career.

Both Moyle and Knobel are 206cm tall so that's going to cause havoc for opposition defenders in the VFL as they rotate around the ground. You can probably add 202cm Read and 199cm Bell to that hypothetical VFL team as well so height won't be an issue for us next year.

 

[Jen2310]

Hard to tell until we get some training reports, but it seems like there hasn't been a big push to play either Andrew or Read in the ruck to date and both have spent most of their careers either playing forward or back (so far). So I guess you could say Knobel is likely our 3rd string ruckman as of right now and will therefore probably start the 2025 season playing back up ruck behind Moyle in the VFL. So yeah, he'll probably have to play the majority of his game time as a resting ruck in either the forward or back line at the beginning of his Suns career.

Both Moyle and Knobel are 206cm tall so that's going to cause havoc for opposition defenders in the VFL as they rotate around the ground. You can probably add 202cm Read and 199cm Bell to that hypothetical VFL team as well so height won't be an issue for us next year.

Yeah, at the very least Knobel will be competing with Moyle for the 2nd ruck depth under Witts.

 

[NOBBYS]

Read is miles in front of Knobel .
Knobel ruck is his only position.
Worth a try,may improve.

 

[Jirik13]

Read is miles in front of Knobel .
Knobel ruck is his only position.
Worth a try,may improve.

Not as a ruck.

 

[THE_GUN]

Fantastic steal by the Gold Coast

I wished my team would have taken him but no list spots

Well Done suns

 

[sunsofanarchy]

Hard to tell until we get some training reports, but it seems like there hasn't been a big push to play either Andrew or Read in the ruck to date and both have spent most of their careers either playing forward or back (so far). So I guess you could say Knobel is likely our 3rd string ruckman as of right now and will therefore probably start the 2025 season playing back up ruck behind Moyle in the VFL. So yeah, he'll probably have to play the majority of his game time as a resting ruck in either the forward or back line at the beginning of his Suns career.

Both Moyle and Knobel are 206cm tall so that's going to cause havoc for opposition defenders in the VFL as they rotate around the ground. You can probably add 202cm Read and 199cm Bell to that hypothetical VFL team as well so height won't be an issue for us next year.

Big dogs

 

[tenderwarrior]

I know he got limited ruck minutes due to Moyle being far more advanced, but how did you see Knobel's 2025 season in the VFL before the season ending injury?

 

[NOBBYS]

I know he got limited ruck minutes due to Moyle being far more advanced, but how did you see Knobel's 2025 season in the VFL before the season ending injury?

Struggled to have any impact has a long way to go to be AFL standard.
Might improve with a couple of pre seasons

 

[SandyToes]

Sometimes those Hail Marys just sail into the bleachers

 

[DTLSchulzy16]

I know he got limited ruck minutes due to Moyle being far more advanced, but how did you see Knobel's 2025 season in the VFL before the season ending injury?

I liked him as a key forward early. His size created mismatches and was a pretty good mark and reliable kick for his size
(Although one game was against NB)
6 goals in his first 2 games
9 goals in 6 games overall. 2 of them as a full time ruckman

I thought he was a lock to get another 12 months while he was playing, but really 50/50 now with a bit of a squeeze on list spots depending on how many academy kids we can get

I think they like him as a backup when Moyle is in the AFL. So learning key forward while Witts powers on is fine

 

[The Kings Ransom]

I liked him as a key forward early. His size created mismatches and was a pretty good mark and reliable kick for his size
(Although one game was against NB)
6 goals in his first 2 games
9 goals in 6 games overall. 2 of them as a full time ruckman

I thought he was a lock to get another 12 months while he was playing, but really 50/50 now with a bit of a squeeze on list spots depending on how many academy kids we can get

I think they like him as a backup when Moyle is in the AFL. So learning key forward while Witts powers on is fine

Do we know what has happened to some of these rookies like Knobel and Lewis.. or will it somewhat be determined by how many we draft?

 

[DTLSchulzy16]

Do we know what has happened to some of these rookies like Knobel and Lewis.. or will it somewhat be determined by how many we draft?

Knobel was on the free agent contract list from the AFL for 2026. “*Qualifies as previously moved clubs as a free agent” so he must’ve got another year

Lewis, Jepson, Eastham. Waiting

 

[KaySwizzle]

Knobel was on the free agent contract list from the AFL for 2026. “*Qualifies as previously moved clubs as a free agent” so he must’ve got another year

Lewis, Jepson, Eastham. Waiting

You’d think we keep Jepson. Depth in position of need and friends with Rowell and Anderson. Give him another year.

The rest are less likely.

Lewis is on the block with JUH coming in, but may stay due to our VFL injuries in that area.