Gold Coast SUNS coach Guy McKenna said he is likely to use the teachings of a former Fremantle coach to overcome the modern day Dockers on Saturday at Patersons Stadium.
Rather than take on Ross Lyon’s more experienced, high-pressure outfit in a head-to-head war, McKenna advocates a more attacking game plan for his young GC SUNS side in the style of what was preached by inaugural Freo coach Gerard Neesham.
McKenna played under Neesham when the latter was player-coach of Claremont’s all-conquering WAFL premiership-winning side in 1987. Neesham’s game-plan was considered ahead of its time by the likes of coaching great David Parkin, and his methods seem to have rubbed off on the man known as ‘Bluey’.
While the SUNS’ backline was able to absorb plenty of pressure in the round 1 victory over Richmond, McKenna wants his team to get on the front foot to play the game on its terms.
“I’m not a coach that loves bouncing off my half-back line. The law of averages say they’ll start scoring on you and then it’s hard to stop when the goal umpire is waving two flags at you,” McKenna said.
“Some sides like to play with a plus-one to say ‘we’ll gives up the stoppages and we’ll bounce off half-back’. That’s the way the modern game is sort of trended.
“I much prefer to be like a Gerard Neesham tactic of win it out of the centre, let’s get it forward and let’s pin it in our forward 50 as best we possibly can.”
The SUNS mentor believes the match will be won in the middle of the ground and at stoppages, but he acknowledges it will be a huge test for his developing group against Freo’s midfield monsters who get silver service from the best tap ruckman in the competition, Aaron Sandilands.
“We can be as quick as we like, but if we don’t have the footy, you’re probably using that pace for chasing down and tackling purposes, rather than controlling the football.
“(We’re) under no illusions, we have to go in to win the footy first.
“Our great challenge is probably not Fremantle, our greatest challenge is consistency. That’s what we need.”
