The Gold Coast SUNS got a win over Collingwood’s reserves on the weekend in a scratch match at Redcliffe.
The SUNS were able to kick away in the final quarter in the blustery conditions, and Assistant Coach Tim Clarke has given his appraisal of the players’ performances below.
Jack Hombsch:
Hommer played his role defensively for us and managed to get into a number of good positions on the day. He was able to stall Collingwood’s ball movement and set us up well behind the ball when we were kicking into a strong breeze.
Chris Burgess:
Burgo had a solid game defensively with the highlight being his battle against an AFL-calibre opponent in Ben Reid. He had a couple of really good moments offensively and took territory with his kicking which was pleasing to see.
Corey Ellis:
Corey played down back for us and was strong defensively while also finding more of the ball than last week. He set up well behind the play and used the ball well through the corridor to gain plenty of territory with his kicks.
Jacob Dawson:
Jacob defended well this week and had the opportunity to play on Jaidyn Stephenson which was good for his development. He made some really good offensive decisions which created opportunities for our forwards.
Jacob Heron:
Speedy had his edge back this week and was good on defence. He won some critical contests and used his speed to great effect which is one of his strengths. This needs to be the standard game for him moving forwards.
Jesse Joyce:
Joycey got caught out defensively a couple of times early but adjusted well and overall defended well for the majority of the game. He created a number of opportunities on offence which was great to see.
Luke Towey:
Luke started the game making up numbers for Collingwood but played the second half for us. He had one of his better performances and continues to build his game. Defensively he was sound and had good positioning on offence.
Jeremy Sharp:
Sharpy had a quiet game last week but responded well and was one of our better players against Collingwood. He had great work rate up and down the wing and used the ball well coming out of defence and also going inside 50.
Jordan Murdoch:
Jordan was quiet this week but played his role on the wing. He needs to find more of the ball because we know how valuable he can be with his disposal when he gets his hands on it.
Sam Fletcher:
Fletch played a mixture of inside midfield and forward and played his role in both positions. He was tough around the contest and showed some grit to play through a corkie early in the game. Overall it was a solid game for Sam who made good decisions when he had it.
Josh Schoenfeld:
Schoey also played midfield and forward and played his role without standing out. His contest work the last few weeks has been a positive after returning from injury.
George Horlin-Smith:
George played most of the game as an inside midfielder and had probably his best game of the year. He was tough around the ball and found plenty of it which was great to see. He also made an impact going forward with a couple of good score involvements.
Malcolm Rosas Jnr:
Mally played forward all game and was dangerous with his fall of ball positioning. He’s opportunistic when the ball is in his area but needs to keep building his game around his pressure.
Hewago Paul Oea (Ace):
Ace was dominant with his work-rate against Collingwood, constantly working back to support our defenders. He had good ball use going inside 50 and finished the game with a high amount of score involvements which was pleasing to see.
Jy Farrar:
Jy had a very solid game built around his defensive pressure which is a trademark of his. He used his speed to get out the back of packs and was rewarded with four goals. He was one of our better players on the day and also helped set up teammates for scoring opportunities which is part of his role.
Patrick Murtagh:
Patty had some good battles with AFL-standard defenders in Lynden Dunn and Matt Scharenberg. He played forward for most of the game but also acted as backup ruck when requited. He had some really good contests and his leading patterns have shown huge growth this year.
Matthew Conroy:
Sauce played as our main ruck and was solid in the contest. Coming up against Max Lynch and Darcy Cameron he showed some good signs and is developing well into a future ruck/forward for us.