SUNS STAR FINDS HIS FEET IN TIME TO DRIVE SEASON REVIVAL
JARRYD Lyons sees the similarities between the up and down form of the Suns and his own performances this season.
But the former Adelaide Crow is starting to show the form that made him such a prized AFL recruit for the Gold Coast.
And it coincides with a string of better performances for the Suns.
Lyons, 24, has shaken off a slow start to 2017 on the back of an Achilles injury suffered during the pre-season.
He has had ample time to build combinations with his teammates and has overtaken Gary Ablett as Gold Coast’s best contested ball winner.
Lyon is averaging a career and team-high 12.9 contested possessions per game this season and a career-high disposals of 25.6.
“I was a bit disappointed in my first six to eight weeks,” Lyons said.
“It’s been nice to put a couple of good performances on the board in a row.
“I have played as the team has played, a little bit inconsistent, so it’s nice to get those two good games in a row and hopefully push for three good games in a row and go for a win this week.”
Lyons conceded he didn’t have the start to his Gold Coast tenure that he would have liked but the hardened midfielder was enjoying his current influence in games.
“It took a little bit of time to get going after missing a fair bit of the second half of the pre-season,” Lyons said.
“It put me back a little bit. There are a lot of new players in there including the four boys that have come in and then the draftees.
“A lot of boys haven’t played footy together so it has taken a little bit of time to build that synergy and work out player’s games.
“I think that probably showed in the last couple of weeks that we are getting there.
“We are not there yet but we are definitely getting there.”
Meanwhile, Ablett has played some of his best football since copping criticism in Round 2 for a lacklustre performance.
The dual-Brownlow Medallist has moved into fifth in the AFL Coaches Association Champion Player Of The Year votes on the back of his effort against Hawthorn. Ablett received 10 votes for the game to take his total to 50.