After a pair of narrow losses against last year’s top two sides, the Gold Coast SUNS reserves will be looking to open their 2016 account this Saturday against the Brisbane Lions reserves at Yeronga.

Brandon Matera comes into the side after being omitted from the senior team and will be looking for a strong performance, but Jarrod Garlett and Cam Loersch both drop out of Steve Daniel’s side to put a dent in the side’s forward line.

Tall utility Keegan Brooksby has earned a spot in Rodney Eade’s 22 and will be another big loss for the SUNS reserves, but Gold Coast will still feature 16 listed players and should be confident of getting the job done against their Queensland rivals.

The Lions sit at the bottom of the NEAFL ladder with a measly percentage of 29.74 after heavy losses to the Sydney Swans and Redland.

However there is talent in the Lions team, with last year’s No. 14 draft pick Eric Hipwood and No. 24 pick Ben Keays leading the way.

“We always love playing the Lions,” GC SUNS development coach Aaron Rogers told SUNS TV earlier in the week.

“It’s more about us though. We’re really passionate about getting the win.

“We’re just going to focus on our competitiveness and the fundamentals just to get the boys the result we need.”

Round 3 NEAFL Team

B: S. Tape, H. Schade, Z. Saad
HB: M. Willis, J. Leslie, T. Keough
C: M. Shaw, B. Fiorini, J. Schoenfeld
HF: A. Dawson (A), J. Grant, H. Simmington (A)
F: B. Matera, P. Wright, J. Daniels
FOLL: D. Currie, D. Macpherson, D. Stanley
INT: I. Franks, L. Russell, J. Joyce, R. Lefeuvre (A)

EMG: J. Platell (A), C. Mullins (A), L. Ritchie

IN: B. Matera, H. Simmington, Z. Saad, I. Franks, A. Dawson
OUT: K. Brooksby, J. Platell, C. Loersch, J. Garlett, C. Mullins