Gold Coast forward/midfielder Ben Ainsworth will be out to prove his worth when the SUNS take on the Lions in QClash16 on Saturday night.

In 2016 he was taken one pick later than Brisbane’s number three draft selection Hugh McCluggage, who played alongside Ainsworth in his teenage years for Victorian representative sides.

But Ainsworth won’t be letting draft order dictate his ability, and will be raring for a strong performance against some familiar faces come Saturday night at Metricon Stadium.

“I know a few of them (Lions players), I went through Under 15s and 16s and obviously 18s with them so I’ve got a few good mates up there,” Ainsworth told the media on Monday morning.

“But she’s all business this weekend and we’ll be looking to knock them off.

“I’m concentrating on my football and what I can do for the team as well and yeah looking forward to a challenge this week.”

The Lions are currently locked on 16 points with the SUNS on the AFL ladder, with the winner of this weekend’s QClash all but locking themselves in as the best-performing Queensland team this season.

“They’re obviously playing some pretty good footy and as are we in patches but we just can’t put a full four-quarter performance together,” Ainsworth said.

“So it’s just a matter of that consistency throughout the game and (we’re) looking forward to a good challenge this week.” 

The SUNS got one-up on their crosstown rivals earlier in the year with a five-point victory in QClash15, but Ainsworth says there’s not a lot that can be garnered after four months of football in between.

“There’s obviously going to be some changes in terms of game-style throughout the year so it’s just a matter of adapting to that and obviously this week will be a good challenge for us,” he said.

“I think if we play our best footy and our contest work and our spread is on I think we can beat them.”