NEW DAWN FOR SUNS’ TSITAS
Key role for mature recruit
It’s not uncommon to cast an eye over Gold Coast’s training ground at Carrara and see a lone figure putting in the extras.
Whether it’s ball work or chewing the coach’s ear off, James Tsitas refuses to leave a stone unturned in his quest to become an AFL regular.
Last week, following a light early morning session, the Suns’ VFL captain could be seen picking the brain of forwards coach Brad Miller long after some of his teammates had left for home.
Damien Hardwick’s arrival has heralded a new beginning for Tsitas, who in his two previous seasons at the Suns had been stuck in the queue behind a deep midfield group and managed just five AFL appearances.
But the Geelong product, who runs his own online personal training business and is unquestionably one of the hardest workers at the club, has been earmarked for a vital role in the Hardwick system: the pressure forward.
“I love Dimma,” Tsitas told this masthead.
“The way he coaches makes it really clear what your role entails. When he first came to the club he split us all up into groups of how he saw us playing based on the game plan. Mine is that small forward pressure role – bring the pressure, get back and support the defence then help link with the forwards.”
The 28-year-old immediately endeared himself to Hardwick with his work ethic and want to soak up knowledge. He will happily be referred to as a “teacher’s pet” if it means regular AFL minutes.
“I obviously want to do things right, so if there’s something I’m not unsure of I’m going to go to the coach to get clarification on that,” Tsitas said.
“Dimma’s system is complex but it works, so I want to learn it and make sure I’m doing the right things so we can win games of footy.”
Tsitas would have been in the mix to play Opening Round if not for a carry-over suspension from last year’s VFL preliminary final.
In a bid to allow him to play in the grand final the club challenged his suspension but was unsuccessful, extending then ban by an extra week.
It means he will not be available for selection until round 1.
But having made his AFL debut as a 26-year-old, the mature-age recruit knows the value of hard work and patience.
“Absolutely it’s frustrating but that’s the way the VFL tribunal went with their adjudication … this will be tough, but life goes on,” he said.
Tsitas’ transition from inside midfielder to pressure forward is one of many positional switches on the cards at Carrara this season, as Hardwick sets about installing a similar game plan to the one that helped him win three premierships at Richmond.
The first true test of the Suns’ progress will come on Thursday when they play Brisbane in an extended practice match at Springfield.
LIONS V SUNS PRACTICE MATCH 5PM AEST