Wright man for the job
SUNS forward Peter Wright says acknowledging the pressure he put on himself to spearhead Gold Coast’s attack in the wake of Tom Lynch’s departure provided the circuit breaker he needed to progress.
Wright has been Gold Coast’s projected partner or replacement to Lynch since his arrival at the end of 2014 but he never imagined he would be thrust into the main role on the back of a season marred by a calf injury following Lynch’s shift to Richmond.
The 22-year-old concedes 2019 has provided a steep learning curve on field as he learns to deal with being matched up against the best defender in rival teams.
Wright hasn’t felt unfairly compared to Lynch but despite the differences in their games, he has tried to emulate his former teammate’s attack on the footy and marking ability.
Wright said entering a year where his contract was due to end and taking on Lynch’s role has had it’s challenges, but declared the pressure he felt all came from within and not the outside noise of media and fans.
“The main pressure is internal from myself,” Wright said.
“I try not to listen to too much external noise and
mainly just focus on people inside the club and the opinions you really value.
“That’s forwards coach (Ashley Prescott), Dewy (coach Stuart Dew) and my teammates.
“For me it’s about making sure I feel like I’m playing a valuable role for the team.
“The club has been really clear on what that means to me which is my contest and making sure I’m hitting packs hard and bringing the ball to the front and being predictable.
“Kicks, marks, handballs and goals come on the back of that.”
Wright signed a threeyear contract extension last week, keeping him to the Suns until the end of 2020 where he become a free agent after eight years with Gold Coast.
The 203cm forward said he was always confident of staying with Gold Coast but wanted to find consistency on field after a year of injury before signing.