Defending across the whole ground will be the aim of the game for the Gold Coast SUNS in 2018.

All three phases of the game are being worked on through the pre-season, however Senior Coach Stuart Dew has made no secrets about the strong focus on defence. 

Having conceded the second most points in the league across the 2017 season, behind only the Brisbane Lions, restricting opposition scores is one area they will be looking to improve. 

“We want to be really strong defensively, which we think will give us a really strong opportunity to attack from a better position on the ground,” Dew told the crowd at an exclusive member’s event.

“We want to be strong in the contest, but we certainly want to take some ground and put opposition teams under the pump.”

Defending further up the ground has never been so important, with grand finalists Richmond and Adelaide highlighting the impact it can have.

The likes of Eddie Betts, Dan Butler and Daniel Rioli have played key roles in limiting their opponent’s time and space inside forward 50.

With a strong mix of forwards at the SUNS, both tall and small, there will be an emphasis on winning the ball back quickly and giving them all a chance to win the contest.

“I think we have a really potent forward line so we need to get it in there and be quite direct and give those boys a chance with some one-on-ones,” Dew said.

“When you look up there and whether it’s the tall players or the small players, I actually think we can provide a few headaches for our opposition.”

Ben Ainsworth could be one such player after averaging 3.2 tackles per game during his debut season, including a high of six on two occasions.

The small forward’s overhead marking, goal kicking and drive to succeed could see him play a key role in pressuring opposition defenders.

With the SUNS’ coaching staff looking for more flexibility from their players, a whole raft of players are likely to join Ainsworth as pressure forwards throughout games.

“I don’t want to limit them to just be forward line players and we’ll rotate them through the midfield and share the load essentially and not rely on one or two players.”