Given the tragic and controversial circumstances of last week that engulfed not only the Gold Coast SUNS, but also the entire football landscape, Kade Kolodjashnij says the game provided an ideal distraction from the wider issues affecting his club and the code.
 
The internal issues have been widely documented across every media outlet in the country, spread across newspaper inches and dominating nightly bulletins. But their presence made Saturday’s comprehensive 55-point over North Melbourne even more impressive.
 
Despite a series of potentially potent distractions, Rodney Eade’s side was able to separate the off-field issues from the on-field and strictly focus on the job at hand. And that was finding a way to win a second game of 2015 and a first since round five’s win over Brisbane.
 
“Obviously it was a pretty tough week last week for the club and also the boys. We really stayed united throughout the week and put that to the side on game day and produced that four-quarter effort. It was good to get the four points,” Kolodjashnij told radio station RSN.
 
“To be honest there probably wasn’t a lot spoken about what was happening off the field, it was more just about preparing as best as we could on the field, looking over North Melbourne and how they go about it. It was more a focus on the footy during the week.”
 
An absence of leadership has regularly been questioned by sections of the media this year, but the SUNS appear to have found an emerging leader in their polished half-back flanker.
 
The Tasmanian has stepped up in the face of adversity with Eade and the football department demanding more from the soft-spoken teenager during the injury calamity. And as the weeks progress, that’s exactly what they have received from Kolodjashnij.
 
“Rocket’s shown a lot of faith in me this year, especially with the injuries that we’ve had to step up and take on more of that leadership role on-field,” Kolodjashnij said.
 
“I’ve been pretty happy with how I’ve been going, but I can’t get too complacent, I’ve got to keep working hard and play my role for the team.”