The SUNS highest ever AFLW score gave coach David Lake promise his side could match it with other strong clubs this season despite a 21 point loss to the Demons in round 1.

The SUNS scored 5.5.35 (eleven scoring shots), just one scoring shot short of Melbourne’s 9.2.56 (12 scoring shots) and surpassing their previous high score of 34.

“That’s our highest score in our short life and our scoring shots were up there with Melbourne, which we used to struggle to create so I guess effort wise and energy we were good,” Lake said.

While the club’s highest score wasn’t enough to secure a win, Lake suggested a lack of discipline, which his young side would earn through more game time, was more about experience than talent.

“(It was) fifteen minutes of a lapse of concentration but with five debutants, who I’m excited about and the energy they brought, realising that when you play at this level when you play, it just doesn’t stop,” Lake said.

“Last year our defence was in the top two in the competition, and you think you’ve improved it and five (goals) walk through you and then you say three of those come from a 50-metre penalty, it’s hard to defend a fifty metre penalty.

“Where did it really come from? Is it about our defence or is it about our discipline? It’s probably just about our discipline to not let that happen.”

“The amount of players that would be under 10 games of AFLW footy would be enormous so we’ve just got to keep putting games in them and trust in them.

“We’ll improve every week as we get more confidence in what we’re trying to do. I’m not worried about what’s ahead.”