“I think we’d only ever won one before that, so that was a driving factor in wanting to do really well there – that was kind of my main footy goal going through like that older junior thing, like school footy was always the number one thing that I wanted to do and achieve success with.”
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Was it the same for Rowell? “Without speaking for him, I think we both felt very similar about it.”
Carey steadily climbed the APS ladder. In 2017, when Rowell and Anderson played alongside Richards in Carey’s firsts, the school team finished second, beaten only by a stacked Haileybury College, which contained Luke Davies-Uniacke, the King brothers Ben and Max, and several others who would go on to play in the AFL.
On a cold July afternoon in 2019, I was at the school oval when co-captains Rowell and Anderson piloted Carey from behind to claim victory over Caulfield Grammar, fulfilling their fantasy of an APS premiership, albeit this one was shared with Caulfield and Haileybury.
Rowell and Anderson were aided and abetted that day, and during the season, by another teen, two years their junior in draft terms (and one school year behind), who showed signs of prodigious skill and awareness.
Rowell and Anderson were named to the All-Australian team together this year.Credit: AFL Photos
Carey, thus, was transformed from easybeats to a school with a renowned footy program – one that provided four All-Australians in the AFL team of 2025: Anderson, Rowell, Richards and Daicos.
“It’s a destination school now,” said Jepson, who now lives up on the northern NSW coast.
In that 2019 season, Rowell was viewed – rightly – as the standout player in the draft pool from the Oakleigh Chargers, the red bull’s assault on the football and determination inviting comparisons with Geelong champion Joel Selwood.
The Gold Coast Suns were, yet again, mired around the bottom, having lost the cornerstones of Tom Lynch and Steven May to Richmond and Melbourne, despite Lynch accepting less from the contending Tigers than he was paid at the Suns.
Jaeger O’Meara and Dion Prestia had fled the Gold Coast earlier, and the club was caught in what chief executive Mark Evans called “a vicious cycle” of losing key players, gaining high draft choices, then those players walking out once their contracts ran out.
Izak Rankine, the compensation for Lynch, lasted only four seasons with the Suns.
During 2019, the Suns had a eureka moment when considering the pitch for a priority draft choice. If they finished last and picked Rowell, maybe they could get an extra choice from AFL headquarters and pick his best mate Anderson?
Collingwood superstar Nick Daicos, like Rowell and Anderson, is one of the players expected to poll particularly well on Brownlow Medal night.Credit: AFL Photos
The theory, as conceived by list boss Craig Cameron and backed by Evans and then-coach Stewart Dew, was that the Suns might stem the exodus – stop the veritable boats – if they recruited Rowell and Anderson. The close mates were more likely to stick together than say, Rowell and Luke Jackson (who duly headed home to Perth after 2022).
“Our approach was to grab two mates,” Evans said. And so their pitch to the AFL Commission wasn’t simply for a priority pick, but for Noah Anderson to accompany Matt Rowell.
In 2025, Rowell and Anderson are in their sixth year with the Suns. As with Carey Grammar, the sixth season has been the watershed, as the Suns make finals for the first time.
The impact of the Carey kids has been profound, stabilising a talented list and providing Gold Coast’s two premier players. No less important for the Suns has been the cultural influence of the pair. “They’ve both got incredible leadership capacity,” said Evans.
I asked Jepson and the seminal coach from that Carey team, Vince Dattoli, whether Anderson and Rowell’s influence had been greater in terms of their sheer talent or team standards and culture. “Both,” said Jepson.
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“What everyone sees now in AFL footy is exactly what happened at Carey,” said Dattoli.
Anderson said of the parallels between the pair’s school days and the gradual rise of the Suns: “We’ve been there before, and we understand what it takes, and have been a part of a journey where you’ve been through something … to get to somewhere really great.
“So yeah, I think it’s definitely a similar journey … it’d be nice to finish it off this year, but I think the growth will still come in the future as well.”
Anderson and Rowell also represented vastly different personalities at school – Rowell renowned for his quiet focus and relative introversion, Anderson seemingly more jovial and relaxed. “Chalk and cheese,” Jepson called them.
Anderson said his friend was more forthcoming when you knew him. “Well, I think he’s just opened up more. I think he was always that person, but just … a little bit more kept to himself. But once you get to know him, he’s he’s very different to what you think he’d be.”
Anderson has fast forged an impressive reputation as a captain.Credit: Getty Images
Rowell met with four Victorian clubs during the 2024 post-season – Geelong, Collingwood, Essendon and the Bulldogs – as he considered whether to continue with the Suns or sign up for two more seasons (and free agency).
The Suns, always optimistic about Rowell remaining, were nonetheless relieved to secure him.
Anderson knew about the meetings, but found the topic awkward and gave Rowell space to make his call.
“It was one of those things that was … sort of hard to talk about, like, a little bit awkward. There’s not much we don’t talk about with each other, but it was, not a sensitive topic … I obviously wanted him to stay, but as a friend as well, wanted to support him and make sure that he was making the best decision that he thought was the best.
“So happy we got there in the end, but yeah, [we had] a few conversations along the way.”
First at Carey, then at the Suns. They got there in the end.
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