First round draftee Peter Wright put a frustrating couple of months behind him on Friday afternoon when he returned to the park via the NEAFL practice match against the Brisbane Lions.
 
The highly touted Wright arrived on the Gold Coast at the end of November after being chosen with pick No. 8 in last year’s national draft. The key forward put some runs on the board early, demonstrating his talent in the pre-Christmas training block before succumbing to a frustrating knee injury in early February.
 
Wright arrived at Metricon Stadium with fellow draftees Jarrod Garlett (pick No. 15) and Touk Miller (pick No. 29), but has been forced to watch them enjoy their first taste of senior football, whilst he’s been sidelined.
 
“I guess missing out on the first couple was hard with a few of the other boys getting a first taste of senior footy,” Wright told SUNS TV following his first appearance for the Gold Coast SUNS.
 
“But to get through the first one and to be able to wear the jumper for the first time was special.”
 
In Friday afternoon’s curtain raiser against the local rivals, Wright played approximately 85 per cent of the contest in hot and humid conditions in Carrara.
 
Despite getting a strong chunk of conditioning under his belt before suffering his knee injury, Wright entered Friday night’s game slightly underdone, but will undoubtedly be better for the run.
 
“You can do all the running you like, but there’s nothing like a game to see how much you can blow up and early on I did,” Wright said.
 
“I played the full game pretty much and got through injury free which is the main thing, but definitely tired afterwards.”
 
With the absence of a focal point inside 50 at the moment, Wright’s availability would be a solution for the coaching staff. But, Rodney Eade and his team won’t be rushing Wright’s progress, with a focus now on Wright’s development moving forward.