Can the Suns actually push for a finals spot in the second half of the year?
As the Gold Coast Suns’ bye comes up this weekend, coach Guy McKenna would be happy with his team’s success so far in their third season.
Sitting 12th on the ladder with a respectable five wins and seven losses, the Suns are fast growing into one of the stronger teams in the AFL. With precious few caps shared between the players, the likes of Jaeger O’Meara and Tom Nicholls will be a force to be reckoned with in a few years time.
In his first season Jaeger O’Meara has showed a lot in only 12 games, kicking eight goals and averaging 21.9 disposals. Jaeger has already been touted as a player with the potential of Joel Selwood, and at the age of 18 that’s a massive statement.
Tom Nicholls only played one game in 2011 as a knee injury ground his season to a shuddering halt, and he couldn’t make it into the side in 2012. In 2013 he has been given a chance, with Zac Smith out with an ACL.
Tom has certainly taken that chance, showing that he will be a great backup ruckman for Smith when he returns. Averaging 26 hitouts, and at 200cm tall all the signs are there that he will be a player to look out for.
Can Gary Ablett Junior continue his game-winning form and show these youngsters what it takes to become a leader and a great of the game?
Ablett is in his prime and is a tagger’s nightmare, constantly obtaining disposal after disposal and kicking miracle goals every week. He feeds the ball to the talent around him and can now trust that they will make the right decision every time they have the ball in their hands.
Ablett is averaging 32.4 disposals a game, and still has that unique skill-set that only the Ablett family has. Ablett’s offensive skill isn’t the whole package but his defensive pressure is being felt right across the ground. He is averaging 5.5 tackles a game with only three out of 12 games tallying less than five tackles.
Gold Coast’s injuries have prevented them from reaching their full potential, with Harley Bennell and Jesse Lonergan out with hamstring injuries, Zac Smith out for the season with an ACL and Dixon, Matera and Schade being tested with ankle injuries. The bye should help their recovery and prevent them from missing any important games.
Gold Coast’s forward press at stoppages in their forward 50 is hard to break, as was on display against North Melbourne. They rebound straight to a tall option in the forward 50, creating space for the midfielders and small forwards to work with if the ball falls to ground.
This caught the Roos defenders and midfielders completely off guard.
The question is, can the Suns keep up their current form in the last half of the season?
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