An inability to run out the full four quarters was the reason behind Saturday night’s catastrophic finish against a finals bound Western Bulldogs, according to young Gold Coast star Kade Kolodjashnij.
Given the amount of underdone players in the Gold Coast SUNS side, Saturday’s dismal final quarter was always a possibility, especially against an outfit that possess plenty of run and dare.
For the majority of the third quarter, Luke Beveridge’s side threatened to gain the ascendancy, but didn’t impact the scoreboard. It then all came together in the final stanza, with the Bulldogs booting a staggering 10 goals to turn a 37-point deficit into a 22-point win.
“It’s definitely disappointing. We played some good footy to get into a good position after three quarters but we just faded away,’’ Kolodjashnij told the Courier Mail in the aftermath of the SUNS' disappointing performance.
“We just had no run and that’s what cost us in the end.
“The first 10 to 15 minutes of the third quarter we thought we had it under control but they got on a run and we didn’t adapt to that. We didn’t take enough risks and we paid the price.
“They just ran away with it and the boys are pretty disappointed right now.’’
Kolodjashnij’s standing in the game continues to rise on the back of a series of comprehensive performances. The Tasmanian was again one of the SUNS best on the weekend, collecting a career-high 30 possessions and six rebound 50s to go with 503 metres of gained territory.
The 19-year-old was a tower of strength during the injury calamity earlier in the year and since the return of Nick Malceski, Steven May and Rory Thompson, he has lifted his game to even greater heights to ensure the mythical second-year blues remain nothing but a fallacy.
Prizes aren’t awarded to second-year players – at least ones that no longer meet the Rising Star criteria – but you would be hard pressed to find a young player in the game that has stood up and delivered in such adverse circumstances.
'We just had no run and that’s what cost us'
An inability to run out the full four quarters was the reason behind Saturday night’s catastrophic finish against a finals bound Western Bulldogs, according to Kade Kolodjashnij.