On Monday night, Gold Coast unveiled its newest star with the signing of unrestricted free agent Nick Malceski, however football operations boss Marcus Ashcroft revealed to goldcoastfc.com.au it was twelve months in the making to lure one of the game’s best defenders to the club.
“It was a process we identified a year ago now, (we) wanted to make sure we had a plan twelve months ago,” Ashcroft said.
“Based on the face we wanted to be prepared so we could go after someone of Nick’s calibre.”
And the master plan paid huge dividends, with Sydney’s All-Australian half-back in Malceski leaving the harbour city for Queensland’s glitter strip.
“It gives you great confidence, and a sense of achievement, when you’re able to follow it through and get something twelve months later.”
When it comes to experience, Malceski’s defection to the Gold Coast is the club’s biggest since landing dual Brownlow medallist Gary Ablett, who relocated north after his initial stint at the Cattery.
“It’s a great day in the club’s short history – to sign someone of Nick’s calibre, a premiership player (who) played in a successful finals series with Sydney and was arguably their best player on Grand Final day,” Ashcroft said.
“He has been in the AFL system for eight years now so got some real experience.
“He is at the peak of his powers on field, and we’re thinking he’ll also provide some value off the field as well with his leadership abilities.”
Ashcroft said the club would take plenty of confidence knowing Malceski chose to play out the rest of his AFL career on the Gold Coast.
“It certainly does – you try and provide the best environment you can for your playing group and for your coaching staff and for him to see that play out externally, and I think we were able to get in front of him and talk about our footy club he was able to get a real view with how we go about it internally.
“So I guess that guess that gives us good confidence knowing we’re doing a pretty good job and confident knowing he wants to come to our footy club and hopefully be part of success in the next few years.”
