STALWARTS ARE ON THE OUTER
BRUTAL DIMMA CULL THAT’LL BE FELT FOR YEARS, AND SPARK SUNS RISE
This iteration of the Gold Coast Suns is “nothing like” the versions of years past, and you only have to look as far as their tantalising talent on display last Sunday to see why.
And, while that’s a promising development for the embattled expansion outfit, it might spell trouble for the casualties of last Thursday’s selection axing.
The Suns went down to GWS by 28 points at Mount Barker in Gather Round – evening their 2024 ledger at a modest 2-2 – but the Carrara devil is in the details.
Fringe names have become household following Damien Hardwick’s arrival. The style of play is unprecedented, structured and predicated on defensive accountability.
It means that those who were omitted at the selection table – including the likes of 2017 premiership player Brandon Ellis, 13-year Sun Alex Sexton, 34-year-old stalwart Levi Casboult, out-of-contract ruckman Ned Moyle and veteran retreads Ben Long and Rory Atkins – will struggle to find their way back to AFL level, you’d think.
“It’s bad news for the guys that were dropped last week that are north of 25, 26 years of age,” said two-time flag-winner David King on Fox Footy’s First Crack.
“You ain’t getting back in for a little while, because these kids are about to go bang. It’s going to happen, and it’s going to happen quick at the Suns.”
“We’d been hoping the young kids could come in and do this for years, and (in the past) they haven’t had the structure and the standards to do that,” added
Leigh Montagna.
“They’ve got a strong system now that they’re (playing) under Damien Hardwick, and they’ve got some belief. I was impressed with their performance (against GWS).”
In addition to tactical changes, the on-field personnel adjustments have paid dividends – and we might not have seen the end of them just yet.
“I think, in eight weeks, or even less – maybe in four weeks – the side that you play wearing the Gold Coast guernseys will be nothing like the Gold Coast teams you have played in the past,” Collingwood great Nathan Buckley said.
“There are young players that weren’t there, but there are (also) four or five guys who were fringe players (who have emerged) – Sam Flanders is one, who played 44 games in four years, (he was) in and out of the side.”
Flanders, who turned heads in the second half of last season as an inside ball-winner, has taken his game to an unforeseen level as a half-back-flanker under Hardwick.
The 22-year-old – whose 24.2 disposal average last season already obliterated his 16.4 career mean – is averaging 29.0 disposals per game through his first four outings as a linebreaking distributor.
“You need to be able to play multiple positions to be a good, consistent player at this level,” Saints legend Nick Dal Santo said.
“Flanders goes to half-back – a position he hasn’t played a great deal – and he’s played it really well”
The regional Victorian product collected 29 disposals and 287-gamer went at 83 per cent efficiency against the Giants. While some have emerged from the shadows, other pre-eminent Suns have had to adapt to survive.
“Jack Lukosius, we’re saying to you: ‘Jack, you’ve played forward last year, you look like (kicking) 30-40 goals, like you can make a good fist of it’ – Damien Hardwick’s looked at you and said ‘well, you’re not fitting into my forward line, so go back (in defence) before you go out (of the side)’,” Melbourne legend Garry Lyon said.
“He went back (against GWS), he had plenty of metres gained, but that pressure that ‘Bucks’ is talking about, he wouldn’t have that level of pressure in Hardwick’s forward line,” Brisbane icon Jonathan Brown added.
The 23-year-old, who booted 39 goals as a full-time key forward in 2023, recorded 22 disposals at 82 per cent efficiency and seven inside-50s as a hybrid rebounding defender against GWS.
“He’s got the curse of talent,” Buckley said. “We’ve seen him do it really well at both ends with his talent, but if you put his intensity next to a Mac Andrew – who had a season-high, competition-high 16 intercepts on the weekend at three-quarter-time, and the energy and intensity he displayed defensively – that was chalk and cheese.
“Mac Andrew has played 21 (games) over two years, but he was coming along, there was some injury involved in that. (Brayden) Fiorini was another that was in and out. Tom Berry played six (games) last year – he’s played every game this year due to his pressure and his speed.”