INSPIRATIONAL ruck-rover Gavan McGuane holds a special place in the history of the Southport AFC.
He is the only player to have captained the club as both a Magpie and a Shark.
McGuane, the uncle of Collingwood great Mick, first joined Southport in 1980 after moving north from Golden Point in the Ballarat league.
McGuane played his first season with rthe then Magpies under Bob Webb, then under Bill Ryan in 1981, the season he was made club captain.
The next year, Norm Dare was in charge when the Magpies played their last game in the GCAFL, a grand final loss to arch rivals Coolangatta .
The next year, McGuane and the Sharks created history and memories of captain McGuane hoisting the QAFL premiership cup remain for ever.
McGuane subsequently captained the Sharks to the 1985 grand final, but left the club to be captain-coach of Coolangatta in 1986.
In 1987 McGuane returned to Southport and was a member of the 1987 premiership side, but again switched to Coolangatta where he won a GCAFL flag.
When Norm Dare headed off to the Brisbane in 1989, McGuane was appointed senior coach and he took the Sharks to back-to-back flags in 89-90, the latter when the Sharks went through unbeaten.
Sadly for McGuane, he was blinded in a workplace accident in April 1994, and was left with only 18 per cent vision in one eye.