Recruit’s all-round impact boosts Suns
FOR all Hugh Greenwood’s good work on the field against his former club on Sunday, it’s behind the scenes that the Gold Coast recruit has truly impressed coach Stuart Dew.
The Suns kept Adelaide scoreless in the first term at Metricon Stadium on their way to a 12.10 (82) to 4.5 (29) win, with Greenwood setting the tone in laying 13 tackles to go with 10 contested possessions and eight clearances.
After Adelaide offloaded Greenwood last October, Crows football boss Mark Ricciuto justfied the move by saying the 28-year-old was not going to be part of their next premiership side and that the trade was an effort to speed up a midfield many viewed as the slowest in the AFL.
Greenwood cheekily tweeted “if only I were younger and quicker” after the win, instigating a good-natured back and forth between the pair.
It’s the kind of confidence that has contributed to the Suns’ terrific form since the competition’s return.
“He does a lot of the legwork, is really hard to tackle and draws people in,” Dew said of the former professional basketball player. “But a lot of the stuff we love about Hugh is off the field – his care for teammates throughout that shutdown period was outstanding.
“(He’s played) just over 50 games, but in terms of life experience he’s had a lot ... we’re really lucky to have him.”
The Suns are 2-1 heading into their clash with Fremantle on Saturday, when they will again start in the remarkable position of favourites.
But they were 3-1 last season before losing their next 19 games and Dew isn’t getting ahead of himself.
“We’ve got to have the attitude that we’ve never turned the corner, and are just hungry for the next contest,” he said.
Murray Wenzel