Gold Coast SUNS football boss Marcus Ashcroft has hailed the luring of experienced West Coast wingman Matt Rosa as a recruiting coup for the Queensland side.
 
During a tumultuous penultimate day of this year’s trade period, Gold Coast completed an exchange for the 28-year-old by trading pick No. 31 in this year’s national draft for the Victorian’s services.
 
Ashcroft revealed Gold Coast entered the trade period in the market for a specialist wingman, and after former Collingwood utility Paul Seedsman chose Adelaide over the SUNS, the club went after the veteran Eagle.
 
“Obviously the big news was Matt Rosa coming to our footy club. A ten plus year senior experienced player at the West Coast Eagles,” Ashcroft told SUNS TV on Wednesday evening.
 
“Our plans going into the trade period was to get a specific type that could play that wing role.
 
“We went after Paul Seedsman, but we also had Matt Rosa in our plans. So when Matt was delighted to come to our footy club, we were rapt.”
 
After being drafted by West Coast with pick No. 29 in the 2004 national draft, Rosa represented the Eagles on 168 occasions, including 17 times in 2015. He played in this month’s Grand Final, coming off the bench as a substitute in the second half.
 
Ashcroft lauded the North Ballarat Rebels product for his professionalism and is confident Rosa will provide strong leadership at the SUNS, both in an on-field and off-field capacity.
 
“He provides on-field leadership, his on-field experience and he’s a manic trainer, his professional standards are second to none,” Ashcroft said.
 
“We know that he will add greatly to our team off the field through our pre-season campaign and also on the field once we start training in 2016.”
 
The addition of Rosa will bolster an evolving Gold Coast engine room that will have Gary Ablett, Dion Prestia, David Swallow and Jaeger O’Meara returning from injury in 2016.