The Gold Coast SUNS reserves played out a scratch match against Fremantle on Friday afternoon at Metricon Stadium.

It was a tight affair between the two sides, played out with six 10-minute periods followed by three seven-minute periods to conclude. 

SUNS Media have dissected some of the talking points from the match. 

Miles returns:

Midfielder Anthony Miles returned for his first game since injuring his hamstring and made an immediate impact. Miles was one of Gold Coast’s best on the day and played 75% of the match. The 28-year-old wasn’t afraid to get involved in the midfield and showed poise with the football under pressure. He got better as the game wore on and was one of the most influential through the second half of the match to get the game back on Gold Coast’s terms before sitting out the last of the match. Overall it was a positive return for Miles who also came away with a goal to his name. 

Experienced SUNS keeping selection pressure on:

Along with Miles, there were a number of senior players who continue to perform at a high level and are putting their hands up for AFL selection. Sean Lemmens was eye-catching playing between the midfield and forward line, taking the game on with some aggressive decisions while also setting teammates up for goals in the forward line. He kicked one himself and was amongst Gold Coast’s best. Lemmens has remained on the Coast for the impending birth of his first child but is right in the selection frame once the team returns home. Will Brodie and Jack Hombsch continue to perform also while Jesse Joyce was strong defensively.

Draftees starting to roll:

Arguably one of the best players afield today was Jy Farrar. The dynamic forward was involved in everything and had some terrific individual efforts. Farrar was electric at times and showed plenty of footy smarts, at one stage tapping the ball on to a teammate’s advantage for a goal. He was just as impactful in defence, hunting the opposition with intent and winning another impressive holding the ball free kick. He finished the day with three goals himself in his best performance in the red and gold to date. 

But it wasn’t just Farrar, he was complemented with some more exciting football from Malcolm Rosas Jnr. The SUNS rookie’s highlight of the day was a smooth pickup outside 50, followed by a sidestep and some blistering speed off the mark to race into an open goal after three bounces, easily distancing himself from his opponent. There were also some positive signs from Matt Conroy and Patrick Murtagh who split the time in the ruck in big man Zac Smith’s absence.