As the injury toll worsened and the year began to unravel, Gold Coast SUNS first-year midfielder, Touk Miller, became increasingly important in 2015, shining like a beacon during a turbulent season in southern Queensland.
The Calder Cannons product played every game in his maiden year – one of only two Rising Star nominees to achieve the feat, along with Richmond’s Kamdyn McIntosh – to exceed expectations and emerge as one of the best young talents in the AFL.
The 19-year-old rapidly developed into a vital cog in Rodney Eade’s evolving red and gold tapestry, playing a variety of roles across the campaign to demonstrate his versatility and ability to adapt to different tasks during games.
After spending the first half of the season playing in attack as a pressure applying defensive forward, Miller incrementally earned more and more time through the middle of the ground, seizing the opportunity to become a permanent fixture in the SUNS engine room in the latter stages of the year.
Across his 22 appearances, Miller averaged 17.0 possessions, 5.0 tackles, 3.3 clearances and 3.1 inside 50s per outing. But the statistic that best sums up his football is his application of pressure. Miller ranked second in the entire competition for pressure acts, narrowly behind Collingwood’s Jack Crisp, emphasising how he goes about his football.
Of all the emerging young stars in the competition, few are as clean with their hands or as assured with their decision making as Miller. He rarely fumbles and rarely loses his feet in the contest. Two gifts that can take time to develop at the highest level. But, two gifts that are simply part of Miller’s repertoire.
The longer the first half of the season progressed, the louder the calls for Miller to earn a Rising Star nomination grew, until they reached a crescendo following his performance against Greater Western Sydney. Finally, the Rising Star panel could no longer overlook the sparkling performances by the former Vic Metro captain.
Despite nominee worthy efforts against the Giants earlier in the year (round four), Adelaide (round six), West Coast (round seven), North Melbourne (round 14) and the Western Bulldogs (round 15), the powers that be forced Miller to break the door down before anointing him with the coveted nomination.
At Metricon Stadium in round 16, the tenacious Victorian was thrust into the midfield for four quarters against the Giants. The move paid immediate dividends with Miller thriving in the guts alongside dual Brownlow medallist Gary Ablett. The pair was dominant, linking up throughout the afternoon to cut GWS apart at times.
Opposed to one of the best young onball departments in the competition, Miller looked at home. He collected a career-high 27 possessions (18 contested), nine clearances, seven inside 50s, three score assists and two goals of his own, in a performance that was as good as any produced by a first-year player in 2015.
With Ablett and David Swallow re-joining the abundance of midfield class in absentia in quick succession, Miller became part of Eade’s first choice midfield in the closing months of the year.
A move that ultimately sped up his fatigue levels, as the effects of his first year in the game, and no chance of a reprieve due to the injury calamity, began to leave their mark.
But as he proved all season, he was capable of rallying. And that’s exactly what he did in the final two rounds of the year, producing dependable performances against Port Adelaide and Sydney to tie a neat bow around his first winter in the AFL.
Along with Kade Kolodjashnij and Michael Rischitelli, Miller has been one of Gold Coast’s most consistent players this season - that dependability set to be rewarded with a high finish in Friday night’s club champion award.
Level headed and ambitious, 2015 is just the beginning for the young tenacious man from Melbourne’s inner west.
