The mounting injury toll at the Gold Coast SUNS has not quite reached crisis status yet, but a silver lining in a bleak situation is the precious opportunity presented to a host of inexperienced players.
 
Two men with just two games of experience at AFL level will hold down the key posts against the West Coast Eagles on Saturday night. One of Henry Schade and Jack Leslie will face the ominous task of manning one of the best key forwards in the competition in Coleman medal leader Josh Kennedy.
 
With Steven May suspended and Rory Thompson injured, SUNS assistant coach Andy Lovell believes the benefits of exposing the inexperienced pair against a side like West Coast could be highly beneficial for their development.
 
“It is invaluable, you can’t put a measure on how important it is to get time on the park against quality opposition,” Lovell told reporters at the Mercure Hotel in Perth on Friday.
 
“It’s an extraordinary opportunity for them to get some exposure.
 
“At the end of the day it’s been out of our control a little bit, because you always worry a little bit about not exposing young key defenders too early in the careers – particularly against great forwards like [Josh] Kennedy.”
 
After waiting longer than any other player in the club’s short history to make his debut, Schade has not been overawed by the step up in intensity.
 
Without May, Thompson and even the experience of Nick Malceski, his task on Saturday night will be just that little bit tougher. And then throw a parochial home crowd into the equation for good measure.
 
Despite the obvious necessity due to the current state of injury affairs, Leslie, like Schade, comes into Rodney Eade’s side with strong form behind him.
 
“They’ve been terrific in the NEAFL, their development’s been really consistent and their form in the NEAFL has been really good,” Lovell said.
 
“So they’re coming in with that, that’s important that they come in with some form and some confidence.”
 
An in-form West Coast outfit awaits the SUNS at Domain Stadium, with the Eagles coming off their best win of the season against Port Adelaide last Sunday.
 
To curb the influence of Kennedy and the ever dangerous Mark LeCras, Lovell expressed the importance of pressure further up the ground. If the delivery coming into attack is without harassment, then the lives of Schade and Leslie will be made extremely tough.
 
“For us, it’s going to be really important that the rest of the team support them,” Lovell said.
 
“Certainly our midfield pressure and our forward line pressures going to be important because that ultimately helps our young defenders in their job against their opponents.
 
“How the ball comes in is going to have a real effect with how those boys go.”