Coach keen to secure bit more game time
SUNS AFLW coach David Lake is on the hunt to find a second practice game for his team as they edge towards the start of their inaugural season.
Gold Coast had their first taste of competition-style football on Saturday at Fankhauser Reserve, losing 3.6 (24) to 6.10 (46) in a match simulation.
The team will play GWS in Round 1 of the AFLW on February 8 and Lake is eager to give his players more game time in the final week leading into the clash.
“It would be lovely to get another four quarters in before the start of the season if we can find out how to do that in any way,” Lake said.
“We will just keep trying to progress so we can be as ready for Round 1 as we can.”
The Suns were originally scheduled for two match simulations but their first, against Brisbane, was rained out a week before the St Kilda game.
Gold Coast led by a point at halftime at Fankhauser Reserve but couldn’t go with the Saints when they lifted.
“I was really happy with the first two quarters,” Lake said.
“In the second two we were challenged a little bit and I felt like we still had the effort but everyone wanted to see if they could fix it alone rather than the collective.
“But if I measure it from the first two (quarters) and say what are we capable of – that was good.”
Sam Virgo was stand-in skipper for the game and said the team would learn a lot from the loss.
“St Kilda went up a level definitely and we felt that,” Virgo said. “We probably didn’t respond quite as we’d like to with that pressure.
“But we’ll learn from that.”