Around ten seconds of play into the third quarter of Gold Coast’s 40-point win over St Kilda showcased what ruckman Tom Nicholls is capable of at his best.

From the centre bounce, Nicholls flicked the Sherrin backwards, his deft touch finding Michael Rischitelli charging through at speed. A handball from the veteran to speedster Aaron Hall resulted in a SUNS goal on the run from 50 metres out, with just 11 seconds taken from the clock.

 



With the same personnel in the engine room for the past three games, Nicholls credits the continuity as a key factor behind the team’s first win in nearly three months.

“It’s like everything in footy. Pre-season you need that week-to-week continuity, just the same as in games,” Nicholls told BLK RAW on Saturday.

“You need to play with the same group of boys and get that consistency and that chemistry together and I think you’re starting to see that now.

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“It’s really paying dividends for us and hopefully we can get a few more wins going forward.”

After returning to the senior side in round 10, Nicholls has been able to string together some solid performances with his work at ground level particularly impressive.

The ruckman is ranked second at the club for tackles during that four-game period and believes he is slowly building towards where he wants to be.

“Getting there. Been working pretty tightly with Matty Primus and all the ruck coaches and working on what I need to improve on but slowly building,” he said.

“Starting to get those building blocks going.”

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The SUNS have a big opportunity this Saturday against Queensland rivals Brisbane to continue their good form and further build on that consistency.

Round four’s loss to the Lions still stings for many of the playing group at Metricon Stadium with the SUNS determined to make amends in front of their home fans.

“We’ve got a sour taste in our mouth from the last time we played them so we’ll be looking to make amends for that and get another W,” Nicholls said.