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SUNS last chance to shine at home
The Gold Coast SUNS and North Melbourne-aligned Werribee Tigers shared the points earlier this year when their Round 3 encounter ended in a thrilling draw.
Both teams have showed some promising late season form, so this weekend’s return clash again promises to be close.
The match will be the SUNS’ final home game of the year and a big crowd is expected. This week’s squad includes several changes. Charlie Dixon returns from a leg injury and Nathan Ablett will be keen to impress after he withdrew from last week’s team through illness. Schoolboys Taylor Hine and Piers Flanagan rejoin the side and Townsville-raised key position prospect Lewis Moss will slot in across half-back.
The full squad is:
B: Rex LIDDY Karmichael HUNT Taylor HINE
HB: Jake CRAWFORD Joel TIPPETT Lewis MOSS
C: Trent McKENZIE Maverick WELLER Joey DAYE
HF: Luke RUSSELL Charlie DIXON Sam ILES
F: Brandon MATERA Nathan ABLETT Alik MAGIN
R: Zac SMITH Marc LOCK (c) Daniel HARRIS
Interchange from:
Rory THOMPSON, Piers FLANAGAN, Danny STANLEY, Hayden JOLLY, Matt SHAW
Gold Coast SUNS Senior Coach Guy McKenna said the right kind of victory for loyal hometown fans would be a great way to end the year.
“Ideally we’d like to play the style of footy we’ve worked at over the year, and if that means winning then it’d be great reward for effort for the boys. And we’ve had some great support over the journey so far this season so it’d be terrific way to end for everyone.â€
The team will be out to make amends after last week’s heartbreaking loss to the Casey Scorpions. The Gold Coast SUNS were the better side for most of the game, but a third quarter fade out by the SUNS saw the Scorpions kick seven goals to one, steal the momentum, and ultimately pinch a five-point win.
McKenna was philosophical about his side’s inability to stem the Casey tide. “We had a close look at it afterwards. Ultimately I think the midfield did what they needed to do. Our forward entries were very similar in the third quarter to what they were for the whole game, as were theirs. It’s just that every time they went in they scored because they had a big rooster in Miller standing there clunking marks. And with [Michael] Coad injured, Jack Hutchins out, and Joel Tippett battling away on a limited preparation, we were a bit stuck for options. But at the end of it all we gave ourselves every chance over the course the game to win, and we were still very much in things right up until the final siren.â€
He backed his players to put on a strong showing on Saturday.
“They were disappointed last week to lose after what was for the most part a really good effort against a very good side. It was a game that got away in the end, so I’m looking at the guys to learn from the experience and bounce back hard.â€
• Before the main game, Southport Sharks will play Mount Gravatt in a curtain-raiser. Play starts at 11.15am.
• Both Gold Coast SUNS and Werribee Tigers have won four games and drawn one this season. Gold Coast SUNS sits above the Tigers on the ladder due to a superior percentage.
• Werribee Tigers is one of two clubs aligned with AFL club North Melbourne, the other being North Ballarat Roosters. This year Werribee has nurtured the younger North Melbourne talent while North Ballarat has served as the Kangaroos’ ‘seconds’.
