What's worked: The development of tall timber Peter Wright, Sam Day's breakout year and the unlikely emergence of Keegan Brooksby in defence have all been positives.

What hasn't: Injuries. Perhaps the SUNS walked under a ladder as part of pre-season training, but while most of them have been unavoidable, they have been smashed with injuries for a second straight year.

Who haven't we seen enough of yet: Jaeger O'Meara and David Swallow. Neither has played this season and the footy world is poorer for it. We haven't seen O'Meara since the end of 2014, but all things going well, he should be back on the park in the near future.

Indispensable: Tom Lynch. Has ascended to become one of the best forwards in the League. Can do it in the air, on the ground or on the lead and is a future captain of the club.

Coach score: Hard to judge Rodney Eade, who, with the catastrophic injury toll, has coached much of the season with one arm behind his back. Copped some hidings, but we'll learn more as the year wears on. 5/10

Big improver: Sam Day. Now in his sixth season, Day is having his best year. Started as Lynch's sidekick in the forward 50, but as injuries took hold, was shuffled to the backline and has excelled at both ends.

Didn't see that coming: Steven May's kamikaze bump on Lions ruckman Stefan Martin. May's five-game suspension let himself and his team down – the SUNS haven't won since.

Non-negotiable: Plain and simple, they have to be competitive every single week. With a reducing injury list and 18 months under Eade's guidance, it's the least SUNS fans can expect.

Pass mark for the rest of the year: With players back on deck, they need to start winning. They play eight of their final 11 games against teams outside the top eight, so another six wins is not out of the question.