Angus makes his mark with Southport Sharks

Angus Anderson has impressed the coaching staff at Southport Sharks and will be added to the team’s supplementary list for the 2021 VFL and East Coast League.

This is an incredible achievement for the local 17 year old considering that the vast majority of players he was trialing against were previously drafted to an AFL club and have spent several years on an AFL list.

The Sharks were so impressed by Angus’ efforts that they were keen to see him relocate to the Gold Coast this year to have greater involvement with the team, but with Angus undertaking year 12 studies this year that wasn’t feasible and the Sharks’ staff were fully supportive.

As a member of the supplementary list Angus will continue to train at Southport whenever he’s able, and will take part in intra-club practice matches and possibly even pre-season games against other teams in the VFL and East Coast League. Under this arrangement Angus is training once per week up north during the school holidays and will hope to be able to get to Southport sessions on a semi-regular basis once school resumes.

Angus is understandably very excited about his ongoing involvement with Southport. “Trialing with the club was a fantastic learning experience with so many players and coaches having AFL level experience.

“I would love to be able to make the move this year but school has to come first and being on the supplementary list means that I can maintain a focus on both. I’m keen for another big year locally with Sawtell Toormina Saints and will trial with Southport again at the end of this year.”

Jarrod Field, General Manager of Football at Southport Sharks, said that Angus exceeded their expectations of him. “When we offered the trial it was for two weeks and we thought that we’d be saying goodbye to him at the end of that time. The longer we went with the trial, the more he impressed us, not only with his ability but also his dedication. Angus was often one of the first to training, regularly stayed back to do extras, and wasn’t afraid to ask the senior guys for advice on drills.”

Angus made his mark on all at the club and achieved something of a cult status with his flowing blond locks. Amongst the coaching staff he was known as Dermy (Dermott Brereton), whilst his fellow players referred to him as Naughts (Aaron Naughton).

The opportunity to trial at Southport came through Angus’ involvement with the Northern Heat program. His efforts with the club will ensure that future opportunities will be extended to other Northern Heat players in future years.