Kade out to help younger players

GOLD Coast’s Kade Kolodjashnij is challenging himself to become one of the club’s leaders now that his scary battle with concussion is behind him.

The defender missed the last 10 games of the 2017 season on doctors’ orders after three nasty in-training head clashes inside three weeks. They left him lacking focus and struggling to see clearly.

He will wear headgear this season but says he carries no mental scars from the drawnout episode ahead of Saturday night’s first-round clash with North Melbourne in Cairns.

“It was pretty scary at the time; it’s pretty unfamiliar territory, concussion, at the moment and I wasn’t quite sure what the go was,” the 22-yearold said.

“I’ve got that confidence back in my body and I’m looking forward to getting back out there and putting that behind me and getting back to the re- ally good form I know I’m capable of.”

The trainee carpenter spent his time away from football productively, building a home in Fiji last September for a family with charity Habitat For Humanity.

He hasn’t missed a beat since returning for pre-season under new coach Stuart Dew and is aware more will be asked of him in his fifth season.

Second-year players Jack Bowes, Ben Ainsworth and Brayden Fiorini are all likely to play bigger roles in 2018 and the former draft standout is happy to help them out.

“I’m getting to that stage of my career when I need to step up that leadership ... with the young group, I’ve got to step up now,” he said.

The Suns will host the Kangaroos in Cairns in a match-up many pundits are tipping to go Gold Coast’s way.

But the Tasmanian’s sage advice to his younger teammates is to keep a lid on things early in the season.