Increased midfield minutes, increased Touk Miller output. It was a simple equation on Saturday afternoon against Greater Western Sydney, but at a time where the midfield depth has been severely tested, the Gold Coast SUNS found another high quality cog for their engine room.
 
It is easy to focus on the ‘who’ that isn’t there, but when you look at ‘who’ is there, it’s a tantalising prospect, especially once there is a full complement to pick from in the future. Against a midfield that is quickly emerging as one of the next great onball divisions, Miller, along with Gary Ablett kept the SUNS in the contest.
 
The 19-year-old midfielder finished the afternoon with a career-high 27 possessions on the back of his added exposure in the middle of the ground, to go with 18 contested possessions, nine clearances, seven inside 50s, three goal assists and two goals of his own.
 
It was as comprehensive a performance as you could desire from a first-year player and one that will surely be rewarded with a long overdue Rising Star nomination this week.
 
Despite the disappointing loss, Miller was pleased with the growth he is making with added exposure, and identified Gold Coast’s ability to match the Giants midfield for effort throughout the game.
 
“I’m still learning every game, it’s just another stepping stone. I’m still developing in a lot stuff. I can be happy with my game but we still came away with the loss,” Miller told SUNS RAW following Gold Coast’s 15-point loss on Saturday.
 
“For a midfield that runs really hard I thought we matched it really well. We made it a bit of a dog fight for the majority of the game and tried to keep it in tight and broke out wide when we could. I thought we did really well against their midfield.”
 
At different stages during Saturday’s loss, Miller and dual Brownlow medallist Ablett linked up in a manner that suggested they had been playing together for the last decade. Not for the five games that they have actually spent together on a green paddock.
 
Learning off one of the game’s greatest players is as good an apprenticeship as one could wish for, with Miller labelling his captain as a great mentor in the heat of battle.
 
“He’s a real role model actually. He’s very specific in what he wants and really directive on the field. I find it really easy to follow instructions,” Miller said.
 
“He just talks about really small things that help your footy get along, so he’s a really good role model out on the ground.”