Gold Coast SUNS fans were rewarded with two thrilling comeback wins on Saturday, with the club’s VFL side rewarded off the back of a late Jez McLennan goal against Frankston VFL.
SUNS wrestled the lead off Frankston in the dying minutes of the match with the final score of the game cementing the four-point win.
Head Coach Jackson Kornberg highlighted the team’s cohesion in the second half and their ability to get the game back on their own terms.
“It was really a game of two halves,” Kornberg said.
“The first half Frankston really jumped us and we knew they'd come out and play a very possession-based game style.
“We struggled to defend that, but in the second half, we really got our energy going and our offense really clicked and then we were able to stem them a bit more defensively.
“In the end it came down to the last two minutes when we hit the front but overall, the second half we played with a really strong intensity.”
Charlie Constable had a stand out game through the midfield with 35 touches, nine clearances seven tackles and a goal.
Meanwhile the coach also called out the strong efforts from Darcy Macpherson and Elijah Hollands.
“Charlie Constable inside had a really solid game around the stoppage and was able to get the ball going forward,” he said.
“Darcy Macpherson played down back for a first time this week and really showed a strong defensive intent and was able to bounce off and create.
“Elijah Hollands has traditionally played mid/wing and played a bit of mid and then went into the half-back line in the in the second half and was using his handball receive and run and carry and created real good bounce out of there as well.”
Consistency between quarters continues to be an area for improvement for the side and one that the coaching staff will address this week.
“We know it's there, so the frustration is that we can't do four quarters, but as a playing group and a coaching group we’ll keep striving for that,” he said.
An ongoing priority for the VFL side is to best prepare the emerging SUNS players for senior selection.
That has been no more evident than in recent weeks, with players such as James Tsitas, Sam Day, Jeremy Sharp, Rory Atkins and Brayden Fiorini transitioning between the two sides.
However, for Kornberg, individuals must keep delivering at a standard higher than VFL level week in, week out if they want to make a case for a senior call up.
“There's spots in the AFL team for guys who are performing really well at VFL level,” she said.
“What we’re asking of all our boys at VFL level is to play at a higher level and play at AFL intensity, so that when their time comes, they're able to step across pretty easily.
“I think in any team, we want to want to strive for consistency individually and collectively. It's great to see Tsitas get his go last week and Ace as well.
“Tsitas coming back from AFL last week – I thought he was really solid around the ball and he was a tackling machine.
“Sam Day going back up into the AFL this week too.”
The VFL side will now take on Essendon’s seconds on Sunday from 1:05pm at Windy Hill – with the game set to be streamed via the AFL website and mobile app.
