SAME AGAIN

First Swans, now Magpies … Dew wants feathers to fly

COACH Stuart Dew will challenge an unchanged Suns outfit to back up its resounding win against the Sydney Swans last week when it steps on to the hallowed turf of the MCG on Saturday.

For the first time in 2021, the Suns have named an unchanged squad from the one that got the job done against the Swans to take on Collingwood on Saturday afternoon in Melbourne.

Dew’s side has been hampered by injuries to key players throughout the early stages of the 2021 season but the Suns got through a physical battle with the Swans with a clean bill of health and a platform from which to launch.

Touk Miller earned the plaudits of Suns supporters last round with an eye-catching 36 touches and a team-high nine clearances to go with nine tackles but it was Gold Coast’s defensive efforts against a high-scoring Swans outfit that was the cornerstone of its second win of the season.

Dew implored his side to reset and bring the intensity against the Magpies.

Nick Holman’s tally of 13 tackles almost doubled any opponent last Saturday, offseason recruit Oleg Markov was electric off half-back while Sean Lemmens was once again tasked with keeping Swans livewire Tom Papley quiet.

The 26-year-old limited Papley to the one major from a season-low six kicks.

It wasn’t the first time Lemmens had been charged with handling some of the AFL’s most elusive small forwards in 2021 after a change of roles in the off-season.

Despite playing as a small forward throughout most of his 98-game career, Lemmens hasn’t wasted any time adjusting to life as a shutdown defender, going toe-to-toe with some of the competition’s most dangerous small forwards.

Making his blanketing performance against the Swans even more impressive was the fact a concussion suffered in Round 4 had seen Lemmens miss the previous weekend’s clash with the Bulldogs, as well as hampering preparations to face the Swans under the AFL’s new concussion protocols.

Despite being named on the wing to face the Magpies, there’s a fair chance Lemmens heads down back to a Collingwood forward line boasting a host of dangerous targets.

Another impressive and injury-free outing would all but lock in the South Australian to become just the 15th person to play 100 games for the Suns in next Saturday’s home clash at Metricon Stadium against St Kilda.

With injured ruckman Zac Smith still on the road to recovery, Chris Burgess and Caleb Graham could again share ruck duties against Pies star Brodie Grundy.

Despite conceding a significant hitout advantage against the Swans last week, the Suns were relentless when the ball hit the deck and will need to be again up against an experienced Collingwood midfield.

The game is also a rare visit to the MCG for the Suns. It’s the club’s first match at the venue since Round 20, 2019, and just the 15th overall.