Injury-hit Suns hope Day will get all-clear Towering test awaits with Collingwood
GOLD Coast are hoping for some good news on the injury front to avoid a defensive crisis against Collingwood and towering forward Mason Cox in Saturday’s clash at Metricon Stadium.
Sam Day will be assessed by club doctors today and will likely be sent for scans to determine the extent of a shoulder injury.
With captain Steven May sidelined with an ankle injury and 200cm Rory Thompson missing Saturday’s loss to Hawthorn with a hamstring problem, the Suns cannot afford to lose Day.
Thompson is listed for a fitness test this week and May is an outside chance to also push his case.
Cox, the 211cm American, has been a revelation this season with his marking in the forward fifty and looms as a danger man in what is expected to be the Suns’ biggest Metricon Stadium game of the year.
If Day, Thompson and May were all sidelined, 197cm Jack Leslie would be the only key defender available.
Day was swung back into defence in the absence of the regular defensive duo for the 53-point loss to Hawthorn in Launceston.
He was forced from the ground in the final term and looked to be in significant pain following a heavy collision.
He was immediately wrapped in ice and his day was over. However, coach Stuart Dew revealed after speaking with the player there was hope he had not suffered any structural damage.
“He didn’t think it was too bad,” Dew said. “He had a bit of an episode and he said he’s had one before, so he didn’t seem too bothered.”
The Suns have now lost eight on the trot and Dew says he has to focus on instilling the fundamentals into his men.
Dew said Hawthorn players kept their feet better in contests.
The Suns were also sloppy at times in standing the mark.
However, the swift-ball use and the willingness to play on quickly which was the feature of the first half against St Kilda last week was again on display.
The Suns are also using the open side of the ground more than in the previous month where the down-the-line style was easily defended by their opponents.
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