Sunshine Coast will cut all remaining ties to their former partnership with the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles by the time the 2014 Intrust Super Cup season kicks off following an announcement made by club CEO Chris Flannery.
Sunshine Coast will drop the Sea Eagles moniker and return to their original name of the Falcons this season and will no longer play in the maroon and white strip that they wore when they won Queensland's premier competition in 2009 after becoming Manly's feeder team.
Players such as Daly Cherry-Evans, Tony Williams and Trent Hodkinson all spent time playing for Sunshine Coast as they served their NRL apprenticeships but following the 2010 season the New South Wales Rugby League prevented NSW-based NRL teams from using Queensland teams as their feeder clubs.
Following two successive wooden spoons and with a new coach in Ivan Henjak, new board member in Kerrod Walters and new chairman in Ashley Robinson, Flannery believes now is the time to once again forge the club's own identity.
"We loved every minute of our NRL link with the Sea Eagles and of course our title in '09 but those days are long gone," Flannery said.
“The local rugby league community here has been calling for this for a long time now and we have listened and really hope they will get down to Stockland Stadium and support the team now that we will be playing under the Sunshine Coast Falcons name.
“We will still be in the Sea Eagles colours for the trials in February but will be launching our new colours in time for the Intrust Super Cup season kick-off on March 1.”
