Coast confident of life without Ablett
still had the firepower to beat the 11th-placed Demons, pointing to the inclusion of midfield leader David Swallow and debutant Will Brodie.
“We know Gaz is a great player and has had a good year but we are really excited that Dave Swallow is back in the team,” he said.
“He is a really good barometer for the way we play and his attack on the ball in the contest.
“Will Brodie has been playing some great footy in the NEAFL.
“We need that contested style this weekend and we are really confident the guys will bring a lot to the table. While it’s a loss with Gaz, we have a capable team who can win a game of footy and that’s what we are planning to do.”
The Demons have brought in Jake Melksham, Alex Neal-Bullen and James Harmes for Christian Salem (suspended), Dean Kent and Sam Weideman (omitted).
Melbourne have won once more than the Suns but have shown a high level of consistency while their Queensland rivals fluctuate between very good or overwhelmingly bad.
The Demons haven’t lost by any more than 28 points this season while their average loss is by just 12.2, showing how close they have been.
Suns coach Rodney Eade is well aware of their quality and said his young side had to bounce back to their best after almost the entire playing squad failed to deliver against Port Adelaide in China two weeks ago.
“I don’t think they’ve ever been blown out of the water so they are obviously always there in games,” he said.
“But it’s more about getting us right this week. We had a great performance the week before China then en masse we didn’t deliver.
“We need to bounce back.” STEVEN MAY: FROM ANGRY TEEN TO SUNS LEADER P54