Collingwood v Gold Coast SUNS
Victoria Park, Collingwood
Saturday, 21 August 2010 12.30pm
SUNS to strive for bright finish
Gold Coast SUNS will make up to six changes to its squad for its final VFL game against Collingwood.
Exciting school-aged pair Josh Toy and Luke Shreeve come into the side. Nathan Ablett will line up at full forward. Jack Stanley and Mathew Fowler have been named on extended bench.
Collingwood was too big a hurdle for a willing but outmuscled GC SUNS outfit when the two sides first met at Southport back in Round 7. GC SUNS have come along in leaps and bounds since then, and with places on next year’s list still up for grabs the Magpies should expect a testing last home and away outing.
The full GC SUNS squad is:
B: Marc LOCK (c) Joel TIPPETT Josh TOY
HB: Lewis MOSS Jake CRAWFORD Rex LIDDY
C: Trent McKENZIE Maverick WELLER Joey DAYE
HF: Luke SHREEVE Charlie DIXON Alik MAGIN
F: Brandon MATERA Nathan ABLETT Jack STANLAKE
R: Zac SMITH Sam ILES Daniel HARRIS
Interchange from:
Rory THOMPSON Matt SHAW Piers FLANAGAN Danny STANLEY
Jack STANLEY Luke RUSSELL Mathew FOWLER Hayden JOLLY
According to Senior Coach Guy McKenna this week’s game will reveal plenty about the mental attitude of his players.
“We’ll learn plenty, I think. We can’t play finals, but we’re coming up against a very good side with a lot to play for before a finals campaign. They haven’t had a good run lately having lost their last four, but this week they’re at home and playing to find form and possibly a better ladder position ahead of September. On the flipside, we are playing for pride, so it’ll be interesting to see how it unfolds.”
He said last week’s thrilling one-point win over a fast-finishing Werribee was another positive step forward.
“There were more positives than negatives, that’s for sure. To be challenged like that and to ultimately prevail was a great result. It was a real arm wrestle in the last quarter and we withstood a strong surge, something perhaps we may not have been able to do earlier in the year. Physically we ran the game out well, too. We were a man down with Luke Russell going off with a shoulder. Even so we had no cramping players when all was said and done, so that’s another step forward for the group.”
McKenna said team-wide competitiveness was the key to finishing the season on a high note.
“If we compete how we should and win, then that’s the double-whammy. If we play with effort and attitude and stick to our structures and do all the small things that we measure our players by, we can walk away happy with our heads held high.”
• GC SUNS win over Werribee last week leaves the club outright tenth on the VFL ladder with five wins and a draw. A win this weekend and a loss by Sandringham Zebras will push the club to ninth, just one place from a finals berth, and a solid showing in its first ever VFL season.
• Collingwood, currently in eighth place on the ladder with nine wins, is assured of a finals berth. Several big names are expected to turn out for the Magpies on Saturday, among them Josh Fraser, Shane O’Bree, Jack Anthony and Paul Medhurst.
• GC SUNS Best and Fairest Award will be announced at an invitation only function at Seaworld on Sunday. With several players remaining in contention for the award, the final winner may well be decided by performances in Saturday’s game.
