Cream of draft is rising
SUNS’ No.1 and No.2 draft picks Matthew Rowell and Noah Anderson are in the frame for a Round 1 AFL debut courtesy of strong performances in Gold Coast’s practice game against Brisbane.
Slippery conditions at Metricon Stadium, where the Lions finished 5.9 (39) to 2.12 (24) winners, led to an arm-wrestle with little room for strategy or slick ball movement.
But one thing was evident: Rowell looks a ready-made midfield candidate for Round 1, with the top draft pick of 2019 finding plenty of the ball and only getting better as the game went on.
Fellow top pick Anderson started on the wing and linked up with Rowell on numerous occasions, had good ball use and showed strong work ethic.
Jeremy Sharp proved why he was a draft slider at 27, with the West Australian a clear standout with his running and accurate kicking.
Sharp may have a harder time clinching a Round 1 spot, given Gold Coast’s recruitment of Brandon Ellis and the push of Lachie Weller into a wing role, but he looks destined to play some senior football this year.
Gold Coaster Connor Budarick battled well down back for the Suns, the Labrador junior competing well against Lions’ livewire Charlie Cameron, producing good bodywork and rebounding quickly off halfback.
Suns football manager Jon Haines said it appeared all of the club’s 31 players who took part in the game had got through uninjured.
Izak Rankine, who missed the entire 2019 season with injury, looks ready to make up for lost time.
The exciting forward delivered the highlight of the game with a classy finish on his non-preferred left foot in the second quarter.
Ben Ainsworth, Alex Sexton, Darcy Macpherson and Touk Miller were put on ice at halftime, while Jy Farrar, Patrick Murtagh, Jacob Heron, Malcolm Rosas and academy player Hewago Paul Oea featured in the second.