GUN SUNS ABSENT

CLUB LOSES TWO FOR RD 2:

THE Gold Coast will be without two midfield warriors when they host West Coast on Saturday night but Suns senior coach Stuart Dew insists his on-ball division will still fight the good fight against the starstudded Eagles.

Co-captain David Swallow (suspension) and prized recruit Brandon Ellis (calf) will miss the AFL Round 2 clash with West Coast at Metricon Stadium but the Gold Coast is set to welcome back Jarrod Harbrow, Pearce Hanley and Alex Sexton, who missed the Round 1 loss to Port Adelaide.

The Gold Coast-based Eagles went through their paces yesterday just down the road from the Suns’ Carrara headquarters and will start warm favourites against last year’s wooden spooners, with a large core of the 2018 premiership squad still intact.

“How long have you got to rattle off the names (of the West Coast midfield?) but that’s the beauty, our guys are excited by that,’’ Dew said.

“The fact that a majority of those players are premiership midfielders a few years ago ... Nic (Naitanui) coming back into the side giving them good use. I know Wittsy (co-captain Jarrod Witts) is keyed up for this battle.

“It’s very rare in modernday footy you get a one-on-one battle ... but he’s ready to go.

“Our mids are looking forward to that challenge and not just going out there to fall into line. We want to make sure we put it to them.

“We think we’ve got a dangerous forward line that can test them but the midfield is going to have a big bearing on it as well.’’

Dew said Ellis, a dual Richmond premiership player, had a niggling calf problem after coming back to training from the shutdown period.