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By Michael Whiting
Gold Coast SUNS midfield coach Shane O'Bree is licking his lips with the talent at his disposal as the battle for a starting spot in the GC SUNS midfield heats up.
Like many of the young GC SUNS players, this is O'Bree's second season as an assistant coach, and the former Collingwood and Brisbane Lions midfielder is excited about what he's working with.
Although Gold Coast SUNS struggled to just three wins last year, the middle of the ground was always its strength, and O'Bree can see it only improving.
Aside from seasoned veterans Gary Ablett and Michael Rischitelli, the GC SUNS now have a slightly bigger and faster centreline with more options to choose from.
David Swallow is an automatic selection, but after that it gets tricky for O'Bree, coach Guy McKenna and the rest of the GC SUNS coaching staff.
McKenna has indicated he wants Karmichael Hunt to spend more time in the middle, while Dion Prestia, Mav Weller, Josh Caddy, Luke Russell and Sam Iles are among a host of other players vying for midfield time.
O'Bree said Saturday's intra-club trial would be competitive, with spots up for grabs ahead of the February 25 NAB Cup openers against Melbourne and the Lions.
"There's probably a lot of guys that can go through the midfield which is what you want at a football club," O'Bree said.
"The competition's fierce so when the guys are playing, they're going to have to perform or someone else will take their spot. I love it, it's a healthy environment."
O'Bree said after working more closely with Hunt in the pre-season, he had no doubt the former rugby league international could make a successful fist of the midfield after playing his debut season in defence.
He said Hunt had the ability to both play for himself and play for the team.
"His touch in close is really good and his physicality, with the sports he's played, he's used to that. The more he can play in there against other opposition he's going to learn a lot," O'Bree said.
"He's got to know when to go and win your own ball but at the same time know when to help a teammate out. I think 'K' is the ultimate team man and he knows when to make those options."
Aside from Prestia - who has been widely praised for his pre-season - O'Bree also singled out the club's draftees as being impressive, particularly Alex Sexton and 17-year-old Western Australian Jaeger O'Meara.
Almost the entire GC SUNS squad will take part in Saturday's intra-club match with the exceptions of Caddy, Sam Day, Trent McKenzie and Josh Toy, who are in the middle of a two-week training camp in Arizona after injury setbacks during their pre-season.
"Those guys over there are doing all the skill work they can," O'Bree said.
"We're trying to simulate what we're doing here at training over there as much as we can so when those guys come back they'll be ready to play games of football."
