After three rounds of the 2016 AFL season, Sam Day had made the second key forward position at the Gold Coast SUNS his own.

The South Australian was playing his role for the team with aplomb; equal-second in the competition for goal assists, creating scoring opportunities for his teammates and kicking a few goals himself.

But with Rory Thompson going down with an ankle injury in round three and Steven May wiped out through suspension in round four, Day was forced to shift back out of pure necessity to cover the absence of his team’s two key defensive posts.

While some players would be reluctant to switch back, particularly with role consistency playing such a big part in their early-season form, Day showed tremendous leadership to put his hand up and the former No. 3 draft pick certainly hasn’t let his side down after making the move into the defensive 50.

“He’s really stepped up this year, not only forward but down back,” coach Rodney Eade told reporters in his post-match press conference on Saturday.

“He put his hand up when we got the injury to Thompson and then May out, he said I’ll play back and I think he’s really grown in his maturity, grown in his leadership.

“His communication back to me (is) how pleased his growth in his footy is.

“He’s really taken a step. He really can see where we’re headed and wants to be part of it and you can see he really is growing as a footballer.”

After there being some doubt as to whether the 23-year-old would be in the SUNS’ best 22 in round one, Day is now one of the first magnets on the board each week.

His shift in mindset and a full pre-season on the track are key pillars behind his continued growth as an AFL footballer.

“Had a big chat with him at the end of the season, he really wanted just to play forward,” Eade said.

“So we had quite an open, frank discussion about his responsibility and really the ball’s in his court to be able to take the next step.

“Coming back to pre-season we had another chat and you could tell he’d changed his mindset. He really wanted to stamp himself as an AFL player.

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“With that as well it’s the first time he hasn’t missed a pre-season, he’s done all the work. His form was really encouraging as a forward and he probably never wanted to go back before but he’s taken that on as a bit of a leader.

“He’s becoming a bit of a key plank for us to be honest and I think he’s really grown in that leadership and responsibility area and is thriving on it, which is a real positive find and really wants to be a part of us going forward.”

With both May and Thompson due back on the park this week and Peter Wright showing promising signs up forward alongside Tom Lynch, the question is where to now for the versatile tall?

Eade believes Day can fill a role at either end of the ground and his versatility, which was perceived as somewhat of a detriment in 2015, has now become a major strength for the athletic swingman.

“I don’t think there’s any reason why Sam can’t be part of a three-part defence or a three tall forward line,” Eade said.

“With the way Peter’s going, there’s no reason why Sam, Tom and him can’t play together in the forward line.”