Consistency is key to unlocking the SUNS’ full potential in 2016, according to senior assistant Andy Lovell.

At an open media call at Metricon Stadium on Monday, Lovell revealed one of the key focuses of the 2016 pre-season is the ability to balance attack and defence.

“For us we’ve really got to cement our ability to defend and score at the same time,” Lovell said.

“I think that’s the biggest challenge for all clubs is when you’re building like we’ve been building, there’s been moments where we’ve defended really well and there’s times when we’ve been able to kick goals quickly.

“But the consistency is the key so the style of play and what we’ve been training is around being consistent in the areas of being able to defend when we have to defend and score rapidly when we need to.”

Numbers on the training track were at record highs prior to Christmas, with just a handful of players remaining in the rehab group.

However, Lovell knows the SUNS are in the same boat as most AFL clubs at this time of the year as the club looks to build on the strong six-week pre-Christmas training block.

“It’s positive for every club at this time of the year obviously and we’re no different to any of the others,” Lovell said.

“We’re in a really strong position in terms of player availability and we’re just looking forward to really cementing what we’ve built prior to Christmas.”