Young gun Sam Flanders says that the Gold Coast SUNS are more confident than ever as they aim to stay in finals contention with a crucial QClash this weekend at People First Stadium.
Flanders says that whilst the SUNS team may be young, the talent, dedication and commitment the group possesses will hold them in good stead as they approach the season’s end.
“It’s the love that everyone has for each other, and Dimma’s been massive in that, in building the connection,” Flanders told 3AW on Tuesday night.
“You want to come in each day and just want to work hard and get better.
"Our list is very young and very hungry…our belief for finals, it’s always been there, but I think this year more than ever.”
There’s several on and off-field measures that indicate the strong belief the group has in their future together, including gun forward Ben Ainsworth committing to the SUNS for a further four years and turning his back on rival offers.
“For Banga [Ben] to re-sign, shows the confidence within the group that he sees…that we’re going in the right direction, and we all believe that,” he said.
After a few weeks of missed opportunities on the road, the SUNS are looking to solidify their finals charge if they can put up a strong win against last year’s grand finalists this Saturday.
When asked about the SUNS season record of being undefeated at home but winless away, Flanders believes the SUNS have the systems in place to be equally dominant away from home.
“Last week [against the GWS GIANTS in Sydney]…if we’d have taken our opportunities, it’s obviously a different story,” he said.
“We can take a lot of positives out of that game, we hit a lot of our key indicators…clearances, contested possessions…[whereas] we’ve had some losses this year where we haven’t really played our brand of footy which has been disappointing,” he said.
As they look toward the end of the season with away matches against West Coast, Essendon and Richmond to come, Flanders says they need to ensure they can back themselves in without the support of a home crowd.
“The biggest thing for us is around the mental game…it’s not as much physical, it’s more about playing away. Obviously, there is a lot of noise [from opposition supporters] with the away crowd.”
“When those pressure moments come away, you don’t have your home crowd there, so if it’s going to be anything [to change], I think it’s more in the head than anything.”
As for this Saturday’s QClash, Flanders is looking forward to hopefully getting another victory on the board against the Lions, after a strong win at last year’s QClash at People First Stadium.
“I’m sure the crowd is going to be amazing…we had this game last year and played really well…and we’re still in a chance for finals so for us, it’s a big game.”
The Saturday afternoon match could see the SUNS maintain touch with the finals race as they approach the last four rounds on the home and away season.
The match is shaping to be the highest-attended QClash at People First Stadium in history. With limited general admission tickets still available, the best way to secure a seat is to buy a Blockbuster Membership, starting from $69 for adults. Click here for more information.
