McKenna says AFL should stick fat with Gold Coast

Former Gold Coast Suns coach Guy McKenna says the AFL should back the club in on the Gold Coast and continue building their fan base there.

"There's this huge participation rate and growth since the Gold Coast have been there. The simple answer is they have to start winning and become more successful," McKenna told Sports Breakfast.

"They need to stop players from wanting to go home, you know Dangerfield even left Adelaide to go home - so it even happens to good clubs.”

“We get caught up on Gold Coast, but if they become more successful players will want to stay, and then that will grow the game in Queensland. Behind the scenes they're doing a great job, and on the field at this stage they're raising their average age and they're one or two players away from competing with the average games of Sydney, Hawthorn and Geelong."

The former West Coast champion also weighed into the hub debate, saying "If I was 23 and halfway through my career, would I love to do it? Of course I would, because it means playing football.”

“And the sound of more matches and less training appeals even more because training is a necessary evil! If you ask any footballer 'would you just play games' then they would say of course you would!"

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IMAGE: AFL