Gold Coast SUNS coach Guy McKenna has heaped praise on young ruckman Tom Nicholls for his performance against Fremantle, despite Aaron Sandilands recording the fifth highest number of hit outs in a game in AFL history.

The giant Fremantle ruckman could have broken Gary Dempsey’s 32-year-old record of 63 hit outs in a match if he hadn’t been taken off the ball for several minutes during the last quarter.

He finished with 58 taps, 21 of which went to advantage.

But McKenna said he couldn’t have asked any more of Nicholls, who conceded 10cm to his opponent.

“I think the stats were 19 to 68 in hit outs, but we won the clearances,” McKenna said.

“Although that looks bad for Tommy Nicholls, I was super impressed with his ability to compete.

“Obviously Sandilands had his hand on the ball … but I can’t say it was all to his liking.

“I thought around the ground Tommy was pushing hard to compete with him. I think that helped us win the clearance battle.”

McKenna’s side won the clearances 49-43, but was unable to turn those clearances into goals.

They kicked their first two goals inside the opening four minutes of the match, but then managed just one goal in each of the remaining quarters.

“I thought the effort was there,” McKenna said.

“To come over here and have a two-goal start, then we handed them two goals on the back of probably being undisciplined with two 50m penalties – probably soft.

“A couple of soft efforts as well in that first quarter, so all of a sudden they’ve got their tails up. You hand them two goals in that quarter, square it up in the second at a goal apiece and then handed them another two goals.

“So at three-quarter time, 25 points down… I certainly thought we were a chance.

“I think just their (Fremantle’s) polish, experience, composure, home ground… but we’ve got to learn to play in those conditions and these environments. That’s why I think it’s a really good step for our group.”

McKenna also praised the efforts of debutant Kade Kolodjashnij, second-gamers Sean Lemmens and Clay Cameron, defender Steven May and David Swallow, who had 27 possessions.

He said he wasn’t sure whether skipper Gary Ablett had won his battle with tagger Ryan Crowley.

“I probably see Gaz with one red eye and one yellow eye… But yeah I thought Gary held his own,” he said.

“Whether he got the points or not I would have to look at the tape but he certainly supplied and he had Ryan on him. We knew that.

“But yeah, I thought it was a good battle. There was certainly no malice in it and Gaz, as he often does each week, had to fight hard for his possessions, which I thought he did and he kept the game going for us in and around those stoppages as well.”

McKenna said he would be hesitant to bring Harley Bennell back into the side too quickly after he recovers from his calf injury.