Wednesday 2 February 2011
Former Brisbane Lions defender Wayde Mills will return to his home club Southport after a highly successful stint in the SANFL.
The only catch is that the strongly-built right-footer won’t line up with the Sharks until the second half of 2011 due to an overseas excursion.
Mills agrees to terms with the Sharks on Monday after he also toyed with joining Gold Coast rivals Labrador.
Mills cited the return of Sharks messiah Norm Dare as coach as an important factor in his decision.
He played under Dare in Southport’s 2005 premiership side before being drafted to the Lions in 2006.
Mills twice ran against St Kilda superstar Nick Riewoldt early in his career but notched 19 senior games before being cut.
A tenacious competition with a strong running ability, despite being pigeon-holed at full-back, his kicking at AFL was considered the main flaw in his game.
However, he played 43 games for Glenelg in his two seasons in the SANFL and was named in the Team of the Year in each of those.
Dare said Mills, who stands at 195cm and 92kg, would be a welcome addition to the Sharks depth.
“He will add strength and composure to our backline after the departure of Ben Caputi and Jason Bourke from last season’s roster,” Dare said.
