Recruit won’t take a Suns start for granted
HARRISON Wigg does not expect to be handed an AFL debut by the Gold Coast Suns.
The 21-year-old former Adelaide player has spent the past three years banging on the door for senior selection without an AFL start.
Few others have had to show his patience or resilience, especially on the Gold Coast where young players walked into the senior side in the earliest days. During the first day of pre-season yesterday Wigg said he won’t be taking anything for granted, vowing to do everything possible to finally play an AFL game.
“I’ll be doing everything I can in the pre-season to make myself ready,” Wigg said.
“Even if it’s Round 1 or the JLT (Community) Series to play. It definitely feels like a fresh start coming up here.
“I just get me body right to play AFL footy. I was at the Crows for three years and didn’t get the opportunity I wanted so it was time to make a decision to come up here to the Gold Coast.”
Wigg trained alongside Gold Coast’s first to four year players at the club’s Carrara base, a fortnight before the senior group is due to return.
Gold Coast’s youngest players were put through a 2km trim trial, won by Josh Schoenfeld who finished ahead of Touk Miller, tall forward Peter Wright and star recruit Lachie Weller.
The group was then put through multiple team-defence style drills before kicking under fatigue. New Gold Coast coach Stuart Dew said he was impressed by what he saw as he began moulding a game style built on defence and clean transitions.
“Being new I have got some strong opinions on how I want us to play,” Dew said.
“We need to have a good foundation defensively. All the best teams do that.”