Senior Coach Damien Hardwick has said the SUNS will be eyeing a ‘Rowell-type’ game in the young midfielder’s 100^th AFL match on Saturday.

The SUNS head south to Marvel Stadium to take on the Bombers in a game that is expected to see Matt Rowell become the 27^th SUN to hit triple figures for the club.

“The way he plays the game is exactly what we need to bring this week,” Hardwick said to media at the Austworld Centre on Thursday morning.

“They’re going to try and control the ball and keep the balls off. They're AFL #1, I think, for uncontested possession, AFL #1 in disposal.

“We've just got to bring pressure and we've got to force them into contest as much as we can. At the end of the day, if we can't bring that part of the game, they're going to win.”

The SUNS have shot out of the gates in both its last two matches with scintillating first quarters displaying the absolute best of what Hardwick’s side can produce.

On the flip side, the visitors will be focusing on limiting momentum when the Bombers make a charge.

“Our 80% is pretty bloody good. What probably happened the last couple of weeks in the GWS and Melbourne game is when we had that 20%, it was a diabolical 20% that cost us between five and eight goals,” Hardwick added.

“What we're saying is we accept that we're going to have a 20%, but if we can reduce that to two to three goals, not the five to eight, that's going to be a better result for us.”

Hardwick also heaped praise on first-year skipper Noah Anderson who, in his sixth AFL season and with new found responsibility under his wing, has taken his game to another level in 2025.

“I think he's raised his game, first and foremost, and they're the sort of captains that I love,” Hardwick said.

“The ability for them to lead on field, but also he's got a great head on his shoulders with regard to his off-field leadership as well. We’re very privileged to have him leading our football club.

“What he's also got is great experience around him. You know, Sam Collins, Touk Miller, Jarrod Witts, David Swallow… these guys that have led the charge for a long period of time. So if he's in any doubt, he's got a great wealth of experience there to lean on, and I think he does that really, really well.”