As clubs roll up to the starting blocks with fan expectations at their highest, it’s easy to be engulfed by the hype of the season opener and put too much emphasis on claiming those four premiership points on offer in round one.
For the SUNS, who suffered an upset defeat to Melbourne in round one last season, the focus this year is solely on what they bring to the table.
It’s a message that’s been reiterated by countless Gold Coast players and coaches over recent weeks and one amplified by utility Alex Sexton, with full faith being placed in coach Rodney Eade’s game plan to deliver the SUNS an opening round victory.
“Just play our footy,” he said.
“I think you get caught up in round one and looking a lot at the opposition and what they’ve got, especially with Essendon.
“They’ve got a lot of new faces that no one’s ever seen before so really just playing our brand of footy. We trust we can beat any club with our brand and we’re going to try that out on Saturday.”
READ: Excitement levels really high- Miller
The Queenslander is urging all SUNS fans on the Gold Coast for the Easter weekend to show their support for the club on Saturday afternoon at Metricon Stadium.
“I love playing at Metricon in front of the home fans so we just need all the support we get,” Sexton said.
“It starts round one on Saturday.
“There’s no better start to the year than playing at home in front of the home fans so as many fans as we can get there would be awesome.”
