Image courtesy of the Gold Coast Bulletin
Gold Coast SUNS Senior Coach Guy McKenna said he was enjoying seeing his experienced new recruits take up the leadership challenge as the GC SUNS playing squad kickstarted its first AFL pre-season.
Although gun midfielder Gary Ablett and ex-Collingwood ruckman Josh Fraser are still yet to join the main training group, McKenna said the presence of Michael Rischitelli, Nathan Bock, Nathan Krakouer, Jarrod Harbrow and Campbell Brown was already making an impact.
“All of those new guys have been great because they bring those little signs of leadership with them. We had a fantastic leadership group last year with Marc Lock, Dan Harris and Charlie Dixon and they did an amazing job. But now the new guys are here you do notice a difference. Many of them have come from playing eight or nine years in the system. To be able to play and train alongside guys with that kind of experience is a really powerful tool for the younger players.”
McKenna, speaking after a lively GC SUNS skills session at Carrara this morning, said the willingness of his mature players to take responsibility for the squad’s actions was a distinguishing feature.
“I’ll give you a couple of examples. I saw Riska [Michael Rischitelli] take a stretching session midway through a sprint session yesterday. And then there was Nathan Bock being really vocal in our defensive drill yesterday. Now you don’t have coaches barking those orders. You have players taking responsibility for it. They’re small things that most people don’t even notice, but there’s a real value in having that sort of thing around the footy club.”
McKenna said he was impressed by the progress of a notably slimmer Karmichael Hunt.
“He’s tracking well. He’s getting through all the training. Dean Robinson [GC SUNS High Performance Manager] has spent some time with Manly and the Roosters in the rugby league competition in the past. He reckons a rugby league pre-season’s about two-thirds the intensity level of an AFL pre-season, so he knows K’s got a bit to make up. But so far K’s looking good. It’s more about his decision-making and his game awareness and getting used to the rules and the way players play around him. Only time sort out those things. It’s not going to be sorted out two weeks into his first pre-season.”
Nathan Ablett was as good a chance of making the final playing list as any of the other uncontracted players invited to train on with the GC SUNS squad, McKenna said.
“He’s in the same boat as Joel Tippet and Jake Crawford. We really want to work on their training intensity and if they tick the boxes they’re all as good a chance as each other to be on our list.”
Meanwhile new GC SUNS midfield lynchpin Michael Rischitelli said he was glad to put his departure from the Brisbane Lions behind him.
Adjudged the Lions’ best and fairest at the club’s awards night just days after announcing he was leaving for the AFL’s newest club, Rischitelli gave an emotional address on receiving his award.
“It was one of those things, the realisation that I was going really hit home, but it was a really good positive night,” he said. “Now I’m just looking forward to getting into it. It’s great to finally get started. I think I’ve introduced myself to the same blokes a few times, but give it a couple of weeks and I’ll be right.”
Still just 24, Rischitelli said being considered an elder statesman at his new footballing home would take some getting used to.
“It’s a bit different being an older bloke that’s for sure. It’s a positive in a way. You learn stuff from the old guys along the way and hopefully I bring a few things to the table. If I can use my experience to make an impact either on the ground or even just verbally around the place, then that’ll be good.”
