The backline has never looked stronger at the Gold Coast SUNS, with off-season acquisition Nick Malceski and rookie revelation Adam Saad becoming part of Rodney Eade’s evolving red and gold tapestry.
 
Trent McKenzie has been here since the club’s inception. He was one of the 12 access priorty 17-year-olds that were made available to the game’s 17th franchise under the AFL’s draft concessions. The Western Jets product has seen defenders come and go, but now the SUNS back six appears to be one of the more potent units in the game.
 
With a plethora of polished left footers down back in McKenzie, Malceski and Saad, as well as Steven May and Kade Kolodjashnij, coupled with shutdown specialists Greg Broughton and Rory Thompson, the SUNS defence looks reliable and resilient.
 
McKenzie praised Malceski and Saad’s seamless transition, identifying their ball use as an area that will be most advantageous for the SUNS' ball movement this season.
 
“I suppose we’ve struggled the last few years of getting it out of the defensive 50, so to bring ‘Saady’ and ‘Mal’ in who are obviously good kicks, it’s going to help us out a lot,” McKenzie told SUNS TV.
 
“They’ve been really good. Obviously ‘Mal’ coming from Sydney he’s got a lot of experience and ‘Saady’ he’s just slotted straight in as well. They’ve been good, we’re ready to go and play with each other.”
 
May and Thompson returned in last Friday night’s final dress rehearsal of the pre-season against Brisbane, just in time to get some much needed match practice ahead of the home and away season.
 
Despite their lack of game time, McKenzie is confident the defensive unit won’t require too much time to build synergy this season.
 
“Hopefully not too long. It’s been hard during the pre-season having a few injuries but I’m sure they’ll be fine,” McKenzie said.
 
“As ‘Mal’ and ‘Saady’ have slotted straight in pretty well, they’ll find it easy to play with those boys.”
 
Competition for spots at Metricon Stadium has never been fiercer. A fact McKenzie says is important; something that will assist the SUNS in becoming a finals contender.
 
“It’s a good thing I suppose. You look at the top sides and they all have a lot of experience and a lot of depth. If we do have an injury we’ll have a lot of confidence that someone can step straight up."