SUNS FLAG MENTAL STRENGTH GOAL
GOLD Coast co-captain Steven May is adamant his Suns won’t be the AFL’s whipping boys this season under new coach Stuart Dew.
The defender pointed to better depth in key positions, plus an emphasis on mental toughness, as reasons for avoiding the heavy defeats of previous seasons.
May was largely restricted to one-onone duties last year with the best forward in each opposing team but hoped to hand that task to fit-again Rory Thompson.
Fast-tracked junior Max Spencer and Jack Leslie also shape as options if opponents play two or more tall forwards, meaning May can help out and push forward without full-time defensive constraints.
Sam Day is another fit-again tall, likely to be employed by Dew, however he is set to battle Peter Wright for time in the forwards alongside key man Tom Lynch.
“If Rory can lock down the big gorilla up there, whoever it may be, I can help him in the air and the other guys,” May said.
“If you look at the best defenders in the comp ... they don’t just beat their man, they help out.
“I’m looking ... to have more impact on the game and take it to a new level.”
He said Spencer, who debuted last season after joining the club on the rookie list, might play in their Saturday season opener against North Melbourne in Cairns.
May also said Dew’s insistence on toughness would help them avoid the blowouts that crippled them last season.
“As the season wore on, we had some really big losses and there’s a difference between losing and losing badly in terms of morale around the club,” May said.
THE Brisbane Lions have revealed one of the secrets behind their success in the AFLW, with the team going on an alcohol ban over the past two seasons.
Brisbane, who will play in their second straight grand final on Saturday, adhered to the team-wide ban in their inaugural year and again this season in a bid to be at their absolute best.
While the seasons are short in the AFLW, it is still a twomonth sacrifice that every player agreed to.
Senior player Leah Kaslar said the ban had been part of their overall preparation and recovery over the past two years, as the team adopted the mentality that everything counted towards success.
“Football is made up of all these tiny little moments,” Kaslar said.
“You’re in these games where it might be a single goal or one finger to a ball that changes the outcome.
“We have a big emphasis that all the little things matter.”
The Lions went into the season as underdogs, despite making last year’s premiership decider, and are also the outsiders for the grand final clash with the Bulldogs, priced at $2 by Ladbrokes.