Glenvill Homes - QAFL Senior Leadership Group 2021
Andrew Thomson
The Sherwood Football Club are delighted to announce the appointment the QAFL Senior leadership group for 2021.
A great mix of experience and youth, they are a fantastic set of young men to lead the club into what should be a fantastic QAFL competition in 2021.
Captain – Luca Winton
Vice Captain – Will Fletcher
Leadership Group – Jackson Allen, Riley Easton and Toara Marango
Luca Winton takes ownership of the captaincy role after a fantastic 3 seasons back at Sherwood including the 2019 Bill Peirce Medal after a runner up finish in 2018. A Sherwood Junior since the u8s in 2006, Luca displays great passion for the black and white, sets high standards on and off the field for his teammates and is a true leader by example with his dedication to constant improvement through sheer hard work. Upholding the values of the club and the 2021 senior squad, the club is great hands in 2021 under his leadership.
Will Fletcher has stepped into the role of Vice Captain for 2021, after a breakout 2020 season where he was able to settle into the senior midfield and consistently displayed the form everyone knew he was capable of. Highlighted by being a runaway winner in the Bill Peirce Medal and Best in Finals after putting the team on his back in the final quarter against Maroochydore to charge home to a fantastic finals win. Will is also another long term Sherwood junior and after stints in the NEAFL with the Brisbane Lions and Aspley, his full-time return to Sherwood in 2020 came with a level of maturity that sees him the ideal candidate to step into a senior leadership role.
Another local junior in Jackson Allen has returned to Sherwood where his senior career started when he debuted as a 16 year old in 2009 in Sherwood’s QAFL side. Jackson went on to be drafted to the Gold Coast Suns where he made his AFL debut in 2012 and spent 3 seasons before moving to the SANFL in 2015 to play with Sturt. He then returned to Brisbane in 2017 and played with Aspley in the NEAFL where he was Co-Captain. Returning to Sherwood, Jackson brings with him a wealth of experience and leadership and will be a fantastic mentor for the young Sherwood team. Riley Easton at just 22 is remarkably one of the most experienced players in the Sherwood lineup. Much like Jackson Allen, he made his debut as a 16 year old in 2015 when he arrived at the club from Dalby as a promising prospect for Sherwood’s dominant u17 Division 1 side but quickly showed he was ready for the higher level. Playing 10 games in his debut season, the diminutive player showed remarkable qualities as the side pushed into the finals, with a particularly ferocious attack on the ball and an appetite for the contest. He was then the winner of the QAFL Rising Star Award in 2018 in his 4th season (after back to back years wrecked by 2 x ACL injuries) and continued his growth in form through 2019 and 2020, averaging in excess of 10 tackles per game during the 2020 season. Riley is a natural leader at the club and will push the group to higher standards through the example he sets on and off the track. Riley also fills the important role of chief of the fines committee! Rounding out the 5 man leadership team is Toara Marango. A Sunshine Coast junior, Toara started his footy at the Caloundra Panthers before making is way through various junior representative teams and then found himself in the Brisbane Lions Academy team, the Allies and the Lions NEAFL side, whilst also playing some QAFL football with the Sandgate Hawks. Toara is a strong key defender with a genuine presence on and off the field that draws people. Having recently turned 21 Toara is the youngest of the leadership group and the natural progression in his football journey will be to further enhance his already strong leadership credentials in the 2021 season.