Injuries are key to Day-Wright puzzle
TWICE this season Suns coach Stuart Dew has faced a tough selection decision between Peter Wright and Sam Day and on both occasions injury has made it for him.
Wright will play his first game of the year against the Hawks in Launceston today after overcoming a major calf injury while Day has been named in defence to cover for Rory Thompson who has a hamstring injury.
The Suns suddenly look very tall against a Hawks outfit that may not be finalised until today.
Dew was openly contemplating if he could play three tall forwards in the lead-up to the JLT Series as he wished to get some football into Day after a year out due to a major hip injury while still giving Wright the necessary match fitness to play in Round 1.
At that stage the Suns did not think Day would gain condition quickly enough to play in the season opener.
Wright had a strong preseason and looked to be the favourite to partner Tom Lynch in attack this year right up until the eve of the JLT Series where he contracted a virus and lost seven kilograms in just a few days.
He missed almost three weeks of training and then suffered a grade two calf tear on his return to training the day before the team flew to Townsville for the first pre-season game where he, Lynch and Day were all selected to play.
At the time Dew described it as simple tightness but as the weeks wore on it became evident he had a serious injury.
“It ended up being a three month calf which is pretty rare,’’ Wright said.
“I just got dealt those cards but it is all behind me now.’’
He has now played five NEAFL games, alternating between the ruck and key forward and has been their best in recent weeks, leaving Dew to once again wonder how he could fit the former top 10 draft pick into the side.
Day has had a quiet couple of weeks but he is not alone in that regard and ruckman Jarrod Witts has been one of the Suns’ best.
Thompson’s injury created the vacancy and Wright believes the extra time in the NEAFL did him no harm.
“The last game I played I started to feel really good, I was starting to move the way I was in pre-season which was a good feeling,’’ he said.
“As for the form side of things, I was pretty rusty early. I find it takes me a while to get some touch back.
“But I’m confident now.’’