During the first episode of The Challenge, Gold Coast’s Senior Assistant Coach Dean Solomon outlined three key areas the SUNS needed to address when they faced St Kilda in Round 1. We take a look at how the team rated in each of the challenges.

First challenge: St Kilda’s midfield

The first challenge was combatting St Kilda’s dynamic mix of midfielders head-to-head. St Kilda have a reputation for their attack on the football and were rated as the best pressure side during the JLT Series.

Jarrod Witts had the advantage in the ruck, winning the hitouts 50-33 but St Kilda were able to read the ball better and won the clearance count by six. The SUNS however were able to match the Saints in the contested possession area for most of the match, and even won that area in the fourth quarter.

Overall the midfield unit worked well together, especially considering the compounding injuries to David Swallow and Ben Ainsworth which forced an entire restructure.

Second challenge: St Kilda’s forward line 

Solomon highlighted the Saints’ potent mix of talls and smalls in their forward half, and said it would be a challenge for the SUNS’ new-look backline to be able to contain their opponents.

The injection of key defenders Jack Hombsch and Sam Collins into defence worked well for the SUNS, with the pair working in tandem to prevent the Saints from taking marks inside 50. While it might not reflect it on the stats sheet, both Collins and Hombsch were able to use their defensive acts to restrict St Kilda’s passage inside 50. 

Meanwhile the combination of Pearce Hanley and Jarrod Harbrow coming out of defence gave an insight into how the team might look to use speed as an asset to get the ball moving forward.  

Third challenge: First-gamers

The final aspect Solomon identified as a challenge was the two SUNS debutants looking to make an impact in the forward line. St Kilda’s backline had taken a heavy toll with injury and suspension which gave plenty of opportunity to first-gamers Jack Lukosius and Chris Burgess.

Burgess was able to kick his first goal at AFL level while Lukosius also showed glimpses of what he was capable of. Both players will be looking to build on this performance and continue to cement their place in the side with a strong showing against Fremantle this weekend at Metricon Stadium.

Stay tuned to goldcoastfc.com.au towards the end of the week for the second instalment of The Challenge.