Gold Coast’s non-selected AFL players squared off against their West Coast counterparts on Saturday morning for some match-practice in the Metricon Stadium precinct.

18 players turned out for the SUNS, with a few lent to the Eagles throughout the session to even up the numbers.

Assistant Coach Tim Clarke has given his appraisal on the performances of Gold Coast’s listed players.

Will Brodie:

It was a good game from Will where again he found a lot of the football. He had some pleasing examples of stoppage transition and impact on the day. One thing we’re working on with Will is increasing his urgency in defence so he can put pressure on for a senior spot.

Chris Burgess:

It was a solid defensive game from Chris on the weekend. It was good to see his marking come to the fore with 2-3 strong grabs which came from his great positioning. Offensively he gave us good drive out of our back half.

Josh Corbett:

Josh was very lively offensively with his strong leads and impressive decision-making inside 50. His defensive intent and tackle pressure stood out and set the scene for the day for our side.

Matt Conroy:

Sauce played key forward and provided a strong option for us down the line. It was good to see him involved in quite a few contests inside 50. He’s continuing to develop as a key forward.

Corey Ellis:

Corey played out of position in the midfield and had a respectable contested game. Offensively he found a lot of the ball, mostly around the contest which helped set up our outside runners.

Jy Farrar:

It was good to see Jy’s defensive intent out there with 2-3 strong tackles. He was lively on offence given it was his first game back from a small injury. He’ll use this performance to build into next week.

Sam Flanders:

Sam gave great energy around the ball and if he was cleaner with the footy forward of centre he would have had a much bigger influence. What was pleasing from Sam’s game was his tackle pressure and intent which stood out.

Sam Fletcher:

Sam played the whole match as an inside midfielder for us on the weekend. He won some critical balls around the stoppage but needs some more consistency with his spread from contests to impact the game more.

Caleb Graham:

Caleb was solid defensively and strong in the contest on most of West Coast’s entries inside 50. It was great to see a few of his big spoils back as a feature of his game. He was one of our better defenders on the day and showed growth in his leadership with setting up behind the football.

Jacob Heron:

It was a lively game from Jacob who found plenty of the ball across half back which was good to see. Defensively he positioned himself well and didn’t give his direct opponents much room to move.

Jack Hombsch:

Jack was impressive in defence all game and showed good composure with the ball. His leadership in the backline was terrific as he helped set up the team in defence.

Jesse Joyce:

Jesse had a solid game in all areas. He stood out on offence making good decisions to challenge the Eagles’ defence.

Jez McLennan:

Defensively, Jez was very strong with some terrific body spoils. He found a lot of the ball in our back half but needed to be cleaner with his disposal which will be a focus of his this week.

Patrick Murtagh:

Patty was another key forward who offered a strong presence down the line for us. He continues to grow with his understanding of forward craft.

Josh Schoenfeld:

Josh played mostly as an inside midfielder and was active in the contest all game. It was great to see his offensive impact with both his run and carry and clean ball use forward of centre. 

Jeremy Sharp:

Sharpy impacted the game well on offence with his trademark run and carry through the corridor and long, penetrating kicks inside 50. Defensively, his work-rate back to support the defenders was prominent all game. 

Zac Smith:

It was a great hit out for Zac with some terrific ruck craft giving our midfielders first use of the ball. His spread from stoppages was a real positive and he challenged the West Coast rucks all game.

Peter Wright:

Pete provided a strong target all game as usual and was rewarded with 5 shots on goal. If he was cleaner with his marking he would have been more dominant. Pete showed leadership up forward and helped his younger teammates excel.