The injury curse has savagely struck the Gold Coast SUNS and along with club imposed bans to trio Harley Bennell, Trent McKenzie and Brandon Matera; the match committee will be forced to make wholesale changes to the side that beat Brisbane last weekend.
Fortunately for Rodney Eade, a number of players with senior experience have been putting their hands up for selection in recent weeks on the back of strong form in the reserves.
After being dropped following the Greater Western Sydney loss, Aaron Hall responded in emphatic fashion to be the SUNS' best performer in the NEAFL’s drought breaking victory.
Luke Russell, Mitch Hallahan and Andrew Raines pressed their cases once again with strong performances on Saturday night. With the SUNS capable of elevating Raines off the rookie list to replace either David Swallow or Jarrod Garlett, the former Richmond and Brisbane midfielder may run out for his third club against the Adelaide Crows.
NEAFL coach Josh Fraser has provided his insights into the players who are putting their hand up for a spot in Eade’s 22.
Luke Russell (11 kicks, 13 handballs, 6 clearances & 4 inside 50s)
“He ended up putting together a pretty good game. Really good in the contest, still working really hard on his outside run so he gets that balance right. He cracked in, he tackled well he probably used the ball a little bit better than he has on previous occasions. I thought his effort was really strong.”
Aaron Hall (22 kicks, 9 handballs, 7 inside 50s & 5 marks)
“He was really lively around the ground, he was a player that can break games open with his speed and his legs. He was good in the contest; his pressure around the ball and in the contests was really good. His leadership really shone through to, he really willed the boys on in the last quarter and helped them get over the line.”
Andrew Raines (8 kicks, 12 handballs, 3 inside 50s & 2 goals)
“Rainesy was terrific. We sent him to do a job on [James] Aish after half time. Aish had had 15 possessions to half time and Rainesy kept him to 19 for the game so he only had four in the second half. His leadership’s been super. I couldn’t ask anymore of what Rainsey’s been doing. He’s the first to lead the boys in centre bounces and stoppages around the ground – he really holds them to account.”
Mitch Hallahan (12 kicks, 10 handballs, 11 clearances & 4 tackles)
“Mitch finished with 11 clearances so he did a lot of his good work around the ball. He was clean, he was combative, I thought he put together a really good game. We scored a lot of goals off the back of his momentum, just getting the ball going forward and giving our forwards an opportunity.”
Danny Stanley (16 possessions, 4 clearances & 4 inside 50s)
“He got better as the game wore on. I think he had an impact for us late. He kicked a good goal late, took a nice contested mark late. I think he’s just finding his legs a little bit. He had the concussion two weeks ago and I think he’s just trying to get himself into some form. I thought it was a step forward on the weekend for him.”
Zac Smith (25 hitout, 11 possessions & 3 clearances)
“He probably had the better of [Matthew] Leuenberger in the ruck. He didn’t have a lot of the ball in the first half but really worked his way into the game and was fairly influential. In the end he had an impact on the result.”
Rory Thompson
The key defender missed last weekend's victory over Brisbane with a hip injury, but is a chance to return against Adelaide if he can prove his fitness in Thursday's main training session.
