When the Gold Coast SUNS step onto Spotless Stadium this Saturday to face GWS, nearly half of its best 22 will be sitting in the grandstands.
Seven players that represented the SUNS in its round one win over Essendon won’t be there with Rory Thompson, Clay Cameron, Trent McKenzie, Matt Rosa, Michael Rischitelli and Alex Sexton all sidelined with injury while Steven May is out suspended.
Add prime movers Jaeger O’Meara and David Swallow as well as ball-winning midfielder Mitch Hallahan to that list and the magnitude of the uphill battle facing the SUNS becomes apparent.
Coach Rodney Eade admits the depth at Metricon Stadium is being tested severely.
“There’s not doubt about it, and I think any club would be in that situation,” Eade told United Coaches Chat.
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“I don’t think we’d be alone there. I don’t think it’s anything as far as coincidence that the top three or four teams don’t have injuries on the ladder, and the bottom four teams, and us as an extra on that, have got the most injuries. You know Fremantle, Collingwood, Brisbane.
“In a tough, even competition, that can be a tipping point or breaking point.
“But having said that we were pleased with our first half last week. The effort was terrific, it bounced back, then the weight of numbers just after half time obviously we fell away and fell away badly.
“We’ve got to take responsibility for that, we’ve got to be able to address that, so we obviously take some positivity out of the last 10 games of last year. We were able to do that with lesser teams, we were really decimated last year. So we’re able to hang in games and show some fight and that’s what we’ve got to be able to do.”
After the SUNS made just one change for its round three clash with Carlton, the match committee have been forced to make multiple changes over the last four weeks against Brisbane (three changes), North Melbourne (five), Geelong (four) and Melbourne (three).
Coincidentally, the SUNS have lost all four games and Eade concedes the lack of continuity, as well as the lack of manpower, hurts his side, with another six changes expected at the selection table this week.
“Obviously four (changes) with injuries and we’ve dropped two but we’ve really got to make a stand as well that we’ve got to get the contest right, we really need competitive players who are prepared to give us a contest,” Eade said.
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“So players are going to be picked on that initially and then form and that will follow after that, but certainly we had too many players, especially after half time, not giving us a contest that we should have had so we’ve got to just keep turning players.
“I think a positive last week was Darcy Macpherson, wouldn’t have got his opportunity without injuries like last year with Hall and Lonergan.
“So we’re going to be able to find some players out of the wreck at the moment as far as the bodies go, but I’ve got every confidence in the group. They are staying upbeat, they are staying positive about the way we’re headed and I’ve got no doubt we’ll be okay by the end of the year.”
