Suns eye Wright return

A MOUNTING injury list means Gold Coast coach Stuart Dew has few alternatives to turn to as he looks to snap a seven-game AFL losing streak.

The Suns looked on track to end that run of losses last Saturday until St Kilda overturned a 31-point final quarter deficit to mount more pressure on the club.

With fit-again tall forward Peter Wright one of few with AFL experience available to return to the side, Dew has put it to his younger players to turn the tide in the clash with Hawthorn in Tasmania on Saturday.

Versatile midfielder Jack Bowes (quadricep) made it a 14-man casualty ward on Saturday that also includes Aaron Hall, Pearce Hanley, Steven May and Darcy Macpherson.

Beanpole Wright is anything but a like-for-like replacement for Bowes but at 21 was the oldest and most experienced to play NEAFL last weekend.

Dew said he was a chance to play his first game of the season but their predicament meant those involved in the St Kilda horror show will likely have a chance for atonement.

“We’ll throw the magnets around and see where we land ... but that’s just where they’re at,” he said.

“When we say (we need) leadership it’s not just the senior players; everyone is playing AFL footy so they’re men.

“Although they’re a 10-, 20game player they can really have a bearing on the result and that’s something we’re building over time.”

Wright, who has played 42 AFL games, could be finally employed against the Hawks.

“When you miss 10 or 11 weeks you can’t just walk back into AFL footy,” he said of Wright’s wait for a senior return.