After being forced to wait longer than any other player in the Gold Coast SUNS’ history to make his debut, Henry Schade quickly made up for lost time in 2015, compiling 15 senior appearances in a breakout year for the Tasmanian defender.
 
The 22-year-old was drafted with pick No. 24 in the 2011 national draft, but from there battled to break into a defence containing Steven May and Rory Thompson in the key posts.
 
But when Thompson was unavailable in round five, an opportunity arose for the tall defender. From there he quietly went about his business, as suspension and injuries compromised May and Thompson’s years.
 
Schade’s season begun brightly in the opening NAB Challenge game against Geelong in Townsville. After coming on in leaps and bounds over the summer months, Schade emerged from the shadows to spend time on Cats stars Tom Hawkins and Mitch Clark, where he performed admirably before suffering an ankle injury.
 
The untimely injury set him back slightly, but his eye-catching form in the NEAFL was rewarded with a debut in round five against the Brisbane Lions at Metricon Stadium – 70 senior games had passed since he landed at the SUNS at the end of 2011.
 
After making his debut in QClash9, Schade strung together nine senior games before injury forced him to miss the trip north to play the Western Bulldogs in Cairns. But after being forced to wait so long to experience the game at the highest level, nine consecutive games was an achievement in itself.
 
One of the toughest assignments in that patch of games was against eventual Coleman medallist Josh Kennedy in Perth. With no May, and no Thompson, Schade and fellow inexperienced key defender Jack Leslie led an undermanned back six. Kennedy did get a hold of Schade, but in a game where West Coast dominated, winning by more than 15 goals, the SUNS backman showed he is made of the right stuff as he continued to battle gallantly.
 
Schade missed a fortnight before returning against Adelaide in round 17 where he remained for the remainder of the season, except for the trip to the MCG in round 20. His performance alongside both May and Thompson against Port Adelaide in the penultimate round of the season was one of his finest at AFL level, after he collected 13 spoils in the wet to make his presence felt.
 
2015 was a landmark season for the tall, but wiry framed, key defender. He rose from anonymity in the pre-season, to be one of the main beneficiaries of added exposure and responsibility this season, making gigantic leaps forward in terms of his development. Schade has chiselled a launching pad from persistence; it will be intriguing to see what steps he takes next.