Skipper’s gibe like a red jersey to a bull
GOLD Coast forward Peter Wright is confident he can arrest his struggles in front of goal as he revels in making a larger impact in another area of the ground.
Wright is considered one of the club’s most accurate goalkickers but the 20-year-old has struggled to take advantage of opportunities so far in 2017.
The third-year tall forward has kicked 8.9 from the first seven rounds, including a career-worst 1.4 in front of goal against Geelong last weekend.
Wright has kicked 7.4 from virtually in front or on a slight angle but just 1.5 from anything outside that. His sole goal on an acute angle came from 15m out.
The 203cm tall has slotted 7.6 from set shots and 1.3 from open play.
Wright, though, said he had no concerns over his kicking and backed himself to bounce back when the Suns play Port Adelaide in China on Sunday.
“I’m pretty settled with my routine and I didn’t change anything on the weekend,” he said.
“I just had a bit of an off night. I still back myself to kick any of those shots.
“I’ll just do a little bit of work to tighten up a few things but generally my routine is pretty strong and I’ll back myself with my set shots this weekend.
“You get into trouble when you stab at the ball a little bit when you go in close so I just try to keep the same routine.
“Hopefully my goal-kicking is better than it has been.”
Wright plays as a secondary ruck for the Suns when Jarrod Witts is on the bench during games and said he had made progress at stoppages this year.
“(Witts) has been awesome for us,” Wright said.
“He’s been playing bulk minutes and given our midfield first use of the footy. We definitely try to communicate throughout game about what is working for each of us. He has a lot more experience than me in there so I
look to lean on him. “I’ve been able to equalise in the ruck a bit more than I have in previous years.”
Few players in the game – let alone the Suns – share the notoriety of Gold Coast midfielder Gary Ablett but the dual Brownlow Medallist may take a back seat to the likes of Wright and Witts (209cm) when they step on to the streets of Shanghai today due to their height.
“I think any of the tall blokes will get some attention and Witts is a couple of inches taller than me,” Wright said.
“They will have no idea who we are in regards to names but we will stand out, especially if we are walking around in red polo shirts.” GOLD Coast captain Tom Lynch has delivered a friendly barb to Port Adelaide over the Suns’ victory in the battle for the red jumpers.
Days before they do battle on Jiangwan Stadium in Shanghai, rival captains Lynch and Travis Boak made impressive pitches to any would-be Chinese fans and potential tourists on behalf of their respective clubs.
The pair fronted a media conference arranged by Tourism Australia at roof-top Bar Rouge with it’s stunning view across the Shanghai skyline.
Both captains shifted effortlessly in to the role as tourism spokesmen in front of several Chinese media outlets.
Port Adelaide made a pitch for home-town support by introducing Chen Shaoliang, the first Chinese-born player to make it on to an AFL list.
Shaoliang, 24, is close to returning from an ACL injury.
However, Lynch drew on the Coast’s historically strong tourism ties with China and couldn’t help but send a friendly dig Port Adelaide’s way when referencing the Suns would be wearing red jumpers, a lucky colour in China.
The jumpers were the flashpoint of a long-running feud between rival chairman David Koch and Tony Cochrane in the lead-up to the match.
“We know the Chinese people love to come to the Gold Coast, I think we are the fourth most popular destination in the world, and we hope some people recognise that and we hope our colours get a few more over the line,’’ he said.
Boak spoke of Port’s commitment to developing the game in China which began with a tour last November.
He also gave a handballing demonstration.
“It is a great feeling to be here in China presenting the sport we love, the sport we grew up playing,’’ he said.