Twice in Matt Rosa’s career has he seen his team rise from the bottom of the heap to the verge of glory in the space of just one season.
In 2010, his West Coast Eagles won just four games before going on to register a preliminary final appearance on the back of 17 victories.
Meanwhile in 2014, the Eagles performed well below expectations to miss the finals, however responded by going onto play in a Grand Final this year.
Now with the SUNS, 29-year-old Rosa sees similarities between West Coast of the mid-2000s to the current crop of talent at Gold Coast.
“I guess when I looked at Gold Coast’s list at the end of the year I saw a lot of upside in terms of the injuries they had last season and that excited me,’’ Rosa told The Courier Mail.
“I’ve been through periods at West Coast where we struggled one year and you can bounce back very quickly.”
When Rosa started at the Eagles, he shared a locker room with the likes of Chris Judd, Ben Cousins, Daniel Kerr and Andrew Embley.
10 years later, he sits alongside the ilk of Gary Ablett, David Swallow, Dion Prestia and Jaeger O’Meara, a midfield that threatens to take the competition by storm if they can stay on the park and emulate the work ethic of Judd and Co.
“I can see similarities, I definitely think there is a lot of talent here,” Rosa said.
“The thing about those guys is they worked harder than anyone.’’
There have been widespread personnel changes across the SUNS football department over recent months with a focus on bringing in individuals with outstanding character and the right attitude. After having discussions with coach Rodney Eade, Rosa believes this will be the catalyst behind a successful 2016 campaign.
“That is what I have found from my experiences at West Coast, if you get enough people in that are good people and work hard it can turn around pretty quickly,’’ he said.
“There is starting to be some great leadership around the place with Gary (Ablett) and Rischa and Tommy Lynch, I’ve been impressed with what they have been able to deliver.
“It feels like they are heading in the right direction.’’
