Fool us once, shame on you; fool us twice, shame on us. Collingwood defender Alan Toovey has revealed a lack of respect and complacency for Gold Coast cost the Magpies last season, when the SUNS sent an ominous warning to the rest of the competition by upsetting the Magpies at Metricon Stadium.
But the 2010 premiership player is adamant the sixth-placed Pies wouldn’t be caught out this weekend.
“Maybe last year a few of the boys went up there thinking it was a game that won’t be too hard to win,“ Toovey said.
“We might have learned a lesson there.
“We respect the way they have been playing this year and it won’t be an easy game at all.
“They have been really impressive and have only kept improving, so we have to make sure we really take it to them.
“Coming into the second half of the year, games like these are really important because it is a chance to distance yourself from teams that are in the mix for the top eight, as well.“
Gold Coast’s three-pronged forward attack in Charlie Dixon, Sam Day and Tom Lynch has stretched opposition defences this season, and Toovey said his side has had appropriately study the key forward trio ahead of Saturday’s clash.
“We’ve been doing our homework on them. They are three big blokes who take a lot of grabs inside 50 and kick goals so they are a big ask for any backline,“ he said.
“Frosty (Jack Frost) and Keefey (Lachlan Keeffe) have been going well as our two main backs and we’ve had a few blokes rotating through on the opposition’s third tall.“