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Gold Coast were a professional rugby league football club which played in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership from 1988 to 1994, the Australian Rugby League premiership from 1995 to 1997, and the National Rugby League premiership in 1998. They first played under the name Gold Coast-Tweed Giants, then Gold Coast Seagulls, and finally Gold Coast Chargers.
[edit] Gold Coast-Tweed GiantsThe Gold Coast-Tweed Giants were admitted to the New South Wales Rugby League premiership for the 1988 season, along with the Brisbane Broncos and Newcastle Knights. Due to a clause in Brisbane's licence, only one team (the Broncos) could play in South-East Queensland. As a result the Giants played out of the now demolished Seagulls Stadium in Tweed Heads, New South Wales, just over the border, which was home to the Tweed Heads Seagulls RLFC.
The Giants' colours were black, silver and white. The Giants were a team that spanned both New South Wales and Queensland. The vision of the club was to unite the entire Gold Coast holiday area into a single purpose. Gold Coast and Group 18 provided a nursery of young players in which the club was able to draw on for recruitment. The key signing for the club was Ron Gibbs who had won the 1987 Grand Final while playing for the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles. Joining Gibbs as the clubs key recruits were; Chris Close, Neil Hunt, Mike Eden, Tony Rampling, Billy Johnstone and Ben Gonzales. Unfortunately the club's major signing Ron Gibbs only appeared in 14 games during the season. Their other major signing Tony Rampling only made one appearance. The Giants avoided coming last in their first season in the premiership. Lack of playing depth and financial concerns hung over the club for the season. The Giants only won 4 matches during the 1988 season. Their most memorable victory coming against the Brisbane Broncos the score in the match was 25-22. The Giants showcased some of the games emerging young talent in halfback Geoffrey "Geoff" Bagnall and a rampaging young forward Keith Neller, who was once touted as a potential State of Origin player. The Giants played their first premiership match against the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs in which they were defeated 21 points to 10. The team was;
Replacements used, Robert Simpkins, Troy McCarthy, Greg Whitbread, Scott Mienei. During the 1988 season Billy Johnstone and Ben Gonzales both appeared in 21 games. Mike Eden scored 79 points (1 try, 36 goals, 3 field goals)and Scott Mieni scored 8 tries to lead the team in try scoring. In February 1989 the Giants were taken over by the Seagulls Leagues Club. This assured the club's financial future. The 1989 season saw the much heralded arrival of Bob Lindner. He would write his name into the record books by becoming the club's first State of Origin representative when he played for Queensland in the first State of Origin match in 1989. Unfortunately Lindners' appearances for the Giants were limited to only 10 games. Linder would leave the club after only one season. The Giants won seven games and drew one in the 1989 season which was a great improvement on their first season. Home crowd attendances improved despite very poor weather. Keith Neller suffered several injuries during the 1989 campaign that limited his effectiveness for the Giants. The club's leading points scorer for the 1989 season was again Mike Eden who scored a mere 63 points (3 tries, 25 goals, 1 field goal). The leading try scorer was Peter Benson who scored 7 tries. The worrying aspect for the club overall was that the team could only score 34 tries, 3 fewer than in 1988. Although the club showed great improvement in defense conceding 101 fewer points than the previous season. [edit] Major Sponsor
[edit] Gold Coast Seagulls The Gold Coast Giants' name was changed to Gold Coast Seagulls, but although the Tweed reference was dropped from the name, they continued to play out of Seagulls Stadium. Along with a change of name came a change of colours to black, white, and red. They signed Wally Lewis, one of the world's greatest rugby league players as captain-coach in '91 and '92 and, following his retirement, just as coach in '93. The club received wooden spoons in all of those three seasons (in 1992 because of an interchange infringement), appearing to reach their nadir in 1993 when they won only one game. When the Super League war broke out, the Seagulls Leagues club pulled out their support and the club was closed at the end of 1995. [edit] Major Sponsors
[edit] Gold Coast GladiatorsThe Gold Coast Club's licence was bought out by millionaire entrepreneur Jeff Muller before the start of the 1996 season and, after some initial deliberation during which it was mooted the club would become known as the Gold Coast Gladiators. The club then enjoyed some immediate success in winning one of the minor trophies at that year's pre-season World Sevens tournament, the club's first title of any description. Two months of controversy ensued, mostly brought about by Muller's interference in the day-to-day running of the club. (It was reported that his wife has ordered the selection of players for the first grade side on the attractiveness of their 'butts'.) During Muller's reign the club went through a succession of chief executives and first grade coaches. In the end the ARL kicked him out and took over the running of the club themselves. [edit] Gold Coast ChargersAfter having been in the league for eight seasons, the club was moved to its namesake, the Gold Coast, and were based at Carrara Stadium. With new jersey colours, it was the Chargers that made the Gold Coast club's only finals appearance in the Australian Rugby League's half of 1997's split competition. Gold Coast were one of a few clubs who actually made a financial profit during Super League, and gained entrance into the newly re-unified National Rugby League (NRL) competition in 1998. However, a reduction of teams was deemed necessary before the 1999 season and the Chargers seemed likely to be dropped. The Hunter Mariners, who were owned by News Limited, were offered as merger partners, but the Gold Coast turned down the offer. If they had merged to form the Gold Coast Mariners, they would have had a strong chance of getting players like Richard Swain, Brett Kimmorley and Willie Mason, along with now-successful coaches Graham Murray and Michael Hagan. When they were closed at the end of 1998 by the NRL, the Gold Coast club had $3.1 million in the bank. [edit] Major Sponsors
[edit] Noted former players
[edit] Gold Coast TitansMain article: Gold Coast Titans The new Gold Coast rugby league team, the Titans, began their first year of competition almost a decade since the demise of the Chargers, competing in National Rugby League season 2007. They have no ties to former Gold Coast teams such as the three listed here, except for the fact they play out of the same city and (for their debut year) played at the same ground as did the Chargers (Gold Coast Stadium, Carrara) before a permanent move to Skilled Park, Robina. [edit] See also[edit] External links
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