While it was a thrilling win by Gold Coast’s AFL side over Adelaide on Sunday, both clubs also played in a scratch match earlier in the day with non-selected players.

It was another dominant performance by the non-selected SUNS and Assistant Coach Tim Clarke has given his appraisal of their performance below. 

Will Brodie:
Will had a presence around the ground and showed some positive signs with his offensive drive. He was one of the more experienced players in the midfield and worked hard with his running patterns from stoppages. Will is working hard to return to the AFL side and will be hoping to come into consideration with some strong form.

Chris Burgess:
Chirs had another busy game as a key defender for us. He was strong in the contest with some big spoils and intercept marks. He played his role well and was able to make an impact for us which we were pleased with.

Matthew Conroy:
It was a quieter game for Sauce this week as he slowly worked his way into the match. He won some good contests at centre half-forward but didn’t use it as well as he would have liked. We’re working with Sauce this week on his composure when kicking inside 50 so he can link up with a teammate for a shot at goal.

Josh Corbett:
Corbs was one of our best performers on the day and was rewarded with a bag of six goals. His strong leading patterns and marking stood out all game as he gave our midfielders plenty of options in the forward half. His clean hands on ground balls was also noticeable. Josh has built some great consistency and will be pushing for senior selection in the coming weeks.

Jacob Dawson:
Jacob had an impressive game as a small defender for us again this week. He didn’t get beaten all game in his one-on-one contests and was getting involved on offense by generating some rebound out of the defensive half. He’s reading the game well and as a result his positioning and transition was a standout of his game.

Corey Ellis:
It was a solid performance from Corey on the weekend. He was strong in the contest and around stoppages and showed some good examples of defensive pressure. He used the ball well when he had it but will be working on his ability to impact the game more consistently.

Jy Farrar:
Jy played his role in a dominant forward line and was rewarded with a goal for his efforts. His leading patterns and timing were big improvements this week and he is starting to show some really positive signs. We’re working with Jy on improving his fitness so he can continue to impact games for longer.

Sam Flanders:
Sam played a solid game in the forward line for us on the weekend. He was strong in the contest and had a few strong leads to the football but wasn’t able to hold his marks as he would have liked. He played his role with good defensive intent and hit the scoreboard which we were pleased with. If Sammy can work on his consistency with his offensive impact he will put pressure on for senior selection.

Sam Fletcher:
We were really pleased with Sam’s efforts this week as an inside midfielder. He had a much bigger impact on the game than he did last week, mainly due to his cleanliness at ground level. We’re working with Sam to improve his contested possession rate so he can consistently make a difference for the team.

Caleb Graham:
Caleb was dependable as a key defender for us. He worked well with Jack Hombsch and was rarely beaten in his one-on-one contests. He’s reading the ball well and is able to nullify any threats in his area with his spoiling work. After playing in Round 1, Caleb is hungry to return to AFL level and will be putting his hand up when a vacancy arises.

Jacob Heron:
Speedy played a mixture of half-back and wing for us on the weekend. He defended well throughout the game and wasn’t beaten in any of his one-on-one contests. He had some really exciting passages of play where he was able to use his speed to break the line and find a target.

Jack Hombsch:
Jack was one of the leaders in our backline once again and played a big role in keeping the defence well-structured. He had great positioning on his direct opponent all game and as a result was able to neutralise the play in one on one contests. Jack’s focus will be on adding more impact with the offensive side of his game next week.

Jesse Joyce:
Jesse had a great game and is playing at AFL standard. He won some critical one-on-one contests in defence and looks stable behind the ball. What was very impressive from Jesse this week was his offensive impact. He was the architect of a number of exciting rebounds out of defence and continues to put pressure on for AFL selection. 

Sean Lemmens:
Lemmo was unlucky to miss out on AFL selection this week but bounced back with a fantastic game for us in the reserves. He built his game on his defensive intent and was then able to follow it up with some clean ball use in our forward half. Sean led the way with his defensive pressure and impacted the game around stoppages so will be putting his hand up for senior selection again.

Jez McLennan:
Jez played his role for us in defence this week. He was positioning himself proactively as the ball came in and was able to win some good one-on-one contests as a result of this. When he had it he used the ball efficiently but needs to find more of it to influence the game more offensively.

Jordan Murdoch:
Jordan played most of the game as an inside midfielder for us and was great defensively. His intent to keep the ball in at stoppages was what really stood out from his game. He played his role and used the ball well when he had it but needs to find more of it to have a greater influence offensively.

Hewago Paul Oea:
Ace is continuing to develop nicely and had an eye-catching game on Sunday. He had terrific energy in the forward half and won some critical contests at ground level. His speed was a real weapon and he used it well to accelerate from stoppages. Ace will be working on improving his execution which will help him have a bigger impact on matches. 

Izak Rankine:
It was Izak’s first game back this week and we were really pleased with his return match. Izak played in the forward line mostly and was really opportunistic as a small forward, reading the ball well off marking contests which gave him a handful of scoring opportunities. He impacted the game in his role but needs to continue to build the defensive intent in his game to give him even more opportunities in front of goal.

Josh Schoenfeld:
Schoey was terrific for us on Sunday playing as an inside mid. He showed a tough brand of football and was clean inside the contests which has been a big improvement in his game. Offensively he is impacting the game well and works hard to provide support to teammates on the run.

Jeremy Sharp:
Sharpy is another who performed quite well for us on the weekend. The last two weeks his offensive impact has been very impressive. Sharpy’s run and carry and swift transition is a great weapon of his and if he continues to show this in games he will be putting his name up for an AFL debut.

Zac Smith:
Zac played as our main ruck and continued to give the midfielders great service. He had some good offensive highlights with a strong work rate and even kicked a goal from a forward stoppage which was great to see.

Luke Towey:
We were really pleased for Luke, it was his first game of AFL football and he did well. He has shown he’s hard to beat in a contest and is very physical with his direct opponent. Luke just needs to get more game-time under his belt to better learn the flow of the game but he has shown great capacity to learn already.

Peter Wright:
Pete played at AFL standard on the weekend, kicking three goals and providing a strong option in the forward line all game. He would have had a much bigger impact on the game if he was used more inside 50. He had great intensity when filling in as a ruck and is putting pressure on the tall forwards at AFL level to continue performing.