ANDREW Boston used his omission from the senior team as motivation to remain part of the Gold Coast SUNS final matches of 2013. 

 “When I got dropped I just wanted to prove myself as much as I could,” Boston said.

“I still have a couple of things I need to work on, but it was a nice little reward on the weekend.”

Dropped against West Coast in Round 19 for the returning Nathan Bock, Boston spent a week in the NEAFL with Shaun Hart before multiple injuries to senior players provided  the Gold Coaster another chance to perform at senior level.

Starting on the half-forward flank alongside Josh Hall and Aaron Hall the former Broadbeach star did more than enough to show his worth, finishing with 14 disposals, six marks and an equal team-high three goals.

Not bad for a teenager who just under a year ago was fighting to keep his AFL dream alive after being overlooked in the 2012 national draft.

“At the start of the year I was just hoping to play one game, so to play six has been fantastic,” he said.

“I’m pretty happy with what I’ve been able to achieve so far but there’s still plenty of improvement for me so I’m looking forward to getting a full pre-season under my belt.”

With Brandon Matera, Aaron Hall, Luke Russell, Jesse Lonergan, Timmy Sumner and elite young gun Jack Martin boasting the SUNS incredibly depth at the small-forward positions, the 2012 NEAFL Rising Star says he’s enjoying the competition to retain his spot.

“When Brandon went down I was trying to get up and push my case while he was on the sidelines, and ever since then I’ve tried to continue to do that.

“Definitely want to get fitter and increase my strength, so hopefully I can continue to work hard over the pre-season and really set myself up towards going further in my AFL career.”