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Young Suns shine bright

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Roar Guru
15th June, 2020
23

Gold Coast’s upset win over the West Coast Eagles on Saturday was one of the biggest surprises of the season so far.

The Suns were impressive with and without the ball around the contest, frequently creating space and carry through the centre.

The biggest talking points to come out of the game surrounded Suns’ young gun Matt Rowell.

The Suns star shone bright racking up 26 touches and two-goals in just his second game of league football. Rowell was impressive showing his class against Elliot Yeo and Luke Shuey around the contest.

Rowell was the number 1 draft pick but what he presented on Saturday against the Eagles to break a 19-game losing streak and is certainly a name to remember.

Matt Rowell was just one of a number of young Suns to step up against the Eagles. The Suns had three first-year players in the squad Rowell, Noah Anderson, and Connor Budarick. All three were influential throughout the game with Anderson kicking and goal and Budarick strong in defence.

Recruitment at the Suns appears to be working well with second-year players Ben King and Jack Lukosius also playing consistent football.

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To be completely honest, despite the club’s struggles in recent years the future doesn’t look so bad for the Gold Coast Suns.

The new and improved coaching tactic of Suns Coach Stuart Dew really opens the game up for his youngsters to run and carry through the middle. The Suns really exposed the West Coast midfield consisting of Tim Kelly, Elliot Yeo, and Andrew Gaff.

Gold Coast spread the ball wide and opened up the wider areas of the ground making it easier for the likes of Rowell and Lachie Weller to carry the ball. The shorter 16-minute quarter also gives the Suns midfield a chance to tire out their opponents and capitalise on fatigue late in games.

Gold Coast faces the Adelaide Crows next Sunday who are coming off a big showdown loss. The Suns will be hoping to back up their performance with another win.

Whether the Suns are contenders or pretenders remains to be seen, but a win over a strong Eagles outfit would have been music to the ears of everyone on the glitter strip.

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