Remember what happened last time Collingwood came to the Gold Coast...
The last time Collingwood travelled to the glitter strip was one of the finest hours in the Gold Coast SUNS’ short history. In the face of tremendous adversity, with no rotations left in the final quarter, and champion captain Gary Ablett out of the game and out of the season with a serious shoulder injury, the SUNS dug deep to record their most famous victory. Saturday night marks the first time the Magpies have returned to Metricon Stadium since that glorious night, and despite Ablett still being sidelined by that shoulder injury, Rodney Eade’s side should take some confidence out of that inspiring effort. It has unquestionably been a difficult start to 2015 for the SUNS, but with the injury curse beginning to subside and Collingwood struggling in the last fortnight, an opportunity presents to breath life into the season. An overall record of 2-2 against the black and white army is another indication that Gold Coast are capable of performing against Nathan Buckley’s side.
Depleted midfield division to be severely tested by black and white engine room
The laughable injury toll in Carrara has been well documented throughout the opening two months of the season. With no Ablett, Jaeger O’Meara and David Swallow, the SUNS will face another tough task against the Collingwood engine room. Dane Swan is back near his absolute game-breaking best, Scott Pendlebury is a big game player and given he plays game No. 200 on Saturday night, look out. Then throw in Steele Sidebottom who is on the cusp of entering the games elite bracket of midfielders and you have an on-ball division brimming with class. If the SUNS are going to have any chance of getting on top in this area of the ground, another batch of consistent performances from stand-in-captain Michael Rischitelli and Dion Prestia will be required. The man capable of anything on any given day, Harley Bennell, will need to produce a master class to help his side cope with a crippling injury toll that has decimated the SUNS this season.
Make no mistake, the inclusion of Saad is a big plus
Two months ago it would have seemed strange, even desperate, to consider the inclusion of Adam Saad this week as enormous. But in his absence last weekend, the SUNS struggled to get the ball out of the back half of the ground with Saad’s run and carry sorely missed against the Eagles. So many of Gold Coast’s forays inside 50 begin with the ball in this man’s hands. We may have said it over and over again, but the mature-aged rookie has been a revelation this year. How he has the confidence to zip in and out of traffic is astounding given his lack of experience. When you think of the most creative rebounding defenders in the game, you instantly think of Western Bulldogs captain Bob Murphy or Greater Western Sydney’s Heath Shaw or Bachar Houli from Richmond. At the top of the list for running bounces this season is the dynamic SUNS with an average of 4.5 per game – Houli is next with 3.6. Saad’s dare and dash can’t be underestimated.
SUNS match committee go with Nicholls one-out
Tom Nicholls’ responsibility is growing by the week with the football department showing substantial faith in the SUNS ruckman by selecting him as the sole big man to face Collingwood pair Brodie Grundy and Jarrod Witts. After overcoming a long and arduous rehabilitation from a knee reconstruction last year, Nicholls is beginning to demonstrate his ability in the ruck. Last week he performed strongly against West Coast pair Nic Naitanui and Callum Sinclair, getting the better of the highly-rated Naitanui. Nicholls collected 11 tackles to highlight his endeavour once the ball hit the ground. The match committee’s decision to leave Zac Smith out of the 22 to face the Magpies increases the amount of time Nicholls will spend in the ruck. But, as Rodney Eade said during the week, they are confident the 23-year-old can rise to the occasion against Collingwood. In what could be a look to the future.
Lynch return to help solve structural issues
The return of spearhead Tom Lynch is a massive boost for Gold Coast with the SUNS breaking down across half-forward last week in Perth. Without a focal point presenting between the arcs, the SUNS failed to generate enough inside 50s to be anywhere near competitive. Gold Coast recorded just 24 for the entire game, the Eagles accumulated that total in the first quarter alone. Lynch has been troubled by a persistent calf issue in recent weeks but appears to have overcome the problem. It has not been an ideal start to the campaign for Lynch after missing round one due to suspension; he had to wait until round four to be joined in attack by Charlie Dixon. The big, bustling Dixon has performed well since returning from ankle surgery, but the pair haven’t yet built a real synergy on a consistent basis just yet. An area that could help a mid-season resurgence.
Task doesn't get any easier for Schade, with date with Cloke set
Josh Kennedy one week, Travis Cloke the next. Henry Schade has not been dealt a kind set of cards in recent weeks, but that is just the reality at the moment. With Steven May serving the last week of his suspension and Rory Thompson still injured, Schade has been handed the big boys out of pure necessity. Despite his inexperience and lack of seasoned players around him, Schade has performed admirably in difficult circumstances. He will undoubtedly require a better application of team defence this weekend to ensure the Magpies don’t waltz through the middle of Metricon Stadium and deliver the ball on a silver platter for Cloke and co.
