THE Smithy's VFL Coast Clash preliminary final - and all future editions of the showdown between the Gold Coast Suns and Southport Sharks - will take on even more significance after the clubs struck the Mackenzie Cup to recognise the contributions of one of the greatest football people in Queensland.
Dr Alan "Doc" Mackenzie, who died earlier this year, was an influential figure in Queensland football for five decades.
He was president of the Sharks for 49 years and was involved in AFL in Queensland as a player, volunteer, medical officer, coach, selector and administrator, with the Southport best-and-fairest award being also named after him.
The Mackenzie Cup will be launched at Sunday's preliminary final at Fankhauser Reserve and will be awarded to the winning team each time the Suns play the Sharks in the VFL.
"Doc was such a huge part of Southport Sharks and we miss his presence every day,” Sharks chief executive officer Dean Bowtell said.
“He would be in his element this weekend and extremely proud to see his two favourite clubs compete in the VFL preliminary final.”
Dr Mackenzie joined the GC17 bid team in April 2008 with the sole purpose of bringing AFL football to the Gold Coast, an effort bought to life a year later when the AFL officially granted a provisional license to the Gold Coast Football Club in March 2009.
Since then, Dr Mackenzie served as a board member of Gold Coast for 10 years and in 2018 was inducted as a life member of the club, highlighting the substantial role he played in the establishment of the Suns.
“We will never forget Doc’s impact on Queensland football and in particular the Gold Coast Suns as one of the founding fathers of our club,” Suns chief executive Mark Evans said.
“We think Doc would be a proud man if he was here today to witness two Gold Coast teams playing off in a VFL preliminary final.”
“We are proud of this initiative and think the Mackenzie Cup is a fantastic way to honour Doc and his contributions over many years to the Suns and Southport Sharks.”
More about Alan ‘Doc’ Mackenzie
A Life Member of AFL Queensland, Dr Alan Mackenzie received the Australian Sports Medal (2000), the AFL Merit Award (2003) and was the inaugural recipient of the Gold Coast Bulletin Sports Award (2003).
He contributed heavily to the Brisbane Bears/Lions for six years (1992-98) as a club doctor, selector and match committee chairman.
In 2008, Dr Mackenzie was inducted to the AFL Queensland Hall of Fame and in 2012 he was recognised by the AFL with the highly prestigious Jack Titus Service Award.
He was also acknowledged for his contribution to Australian Rules Football in Queensland at the Queensland Sport Awards in 2018 with the Service to Sport Award.
