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

It was a tight tussle in an unorthodox nine-period match equalling 80 minutes, but there were some extremely pleasing signs by the SUNS who remained on the Gold Coast. 

Assistant Coach Tim Clarke has given his appraisal of the performances below. 

Will Brodie:

Wiz played most of the game as an inside midfielder for us. He won some good balls around the contest but was inconsistent at stoppages due to body work and handball execution. Will sets a high standard for himself so will be wanting to have more of an impact in this area on the weekend.

Chris Burgess:

Chris continues to compete really well as a key defender. He was strong defensively and able to neutralise a number of Fremantle’s forward 50 entries with his spoiling. One thing we’re working on with Burgo is how to use his body more effectively in defensive contests. 

Matt Conroy:

Matt was our number one ruck again this week and battled well. He is continuing to develop in this role and has been working hard in training to improve his ruck craft. He had some good examples of follow-up work after the ruck contests which continues to be a focus of his moving forward.

Jacob Dawson:

Jacob played his role as a defender this week. He was used multiple times offensively which was good to see. He has now put together a solid five-week block of football. 

Corey Ellis:

Corey played a combination of midfield and half-back during the match. He picked up where he left off last week with the offensive side of his game, running hard to gather handball receives. He didn’t use the ball as well as he would have liked which is something he’ll look to improve this week.

Jy Farrar:

Jy had one of his best games for the SUNS so far playing in our forward line. He was terrific defensively and has genuine intent around the ball. As the game progressed he started to get more involved offensively and had some great highlights. He was very dangerous in our forward half and finished with seven score involvements, including three goals himself.

Sam Fletcher:

Sam is playing well as an inside midfielder and was noticeable around the contest. He won some critical balls this week and is impacting consistently around the ground. His pressure was very good and he used the ball well in our forward half which saw him contribute to a number of our scores.  

Jacob Heron:

Jacob didn’t defend as well as he would have liked early in the game but fought his way back to win some good contests in the second half. He had some involvement on offence but was let down by his execution by foot. He’ll be looking to improve on this during the week.

Jack Hombsch:

Hommer was very good again this week as a key defender and generated a lot of our attacks off half-back with his proactive positioning. He used the ball well in offense by looking to go forward directly. His courage to go back with the flight on multiple occasions really stood out.

Jesse Joyce:

Jesse continues to play his role well as a small defender. He’s very proactive and is making good decisions with his defensive craft. Offensively he was solid this week but didn’t have as much impact as in previous weeks.

Sean Lemmens:

Sean continues to be one of our most dominant players and played at a high level on Friday. He had great energy around the contests, winning some critical ground balls and providing his trademark defensive pressure. He kicked a goal and was involved in eight scores which was pleasing to see.

Jez McLennan:

Jez had an average game defensively, more urgency when defending in one-on-one positions will rectify this.  Jez continued on from last week working hard to get used more offensively which has been a focus for him.

Anthony Miles:

It was great to see Anthony back out there on the weekend after a layoff with a hamstring injury. He played three quarters worth of game-time for us and was used predominately as an inside midfielder. He brought his trademark toughness around stoppages and also kicked a great goal which his teammates were quick to celebrate with him.

Jordan Murdoch:

Jordan played on the wing and through the forward line on Friday. He showed some good glimpses in our forward 50 and played his role when transitioning to defence. We want Jordan to find a bit more of the football this week so he can impact the game more with his strengths.

Patrick Murtagh:

Patty played a mix of ruck and forward this week and is continuing his development nicely. He had a couple of really strong marks which showed what he is capable of when he can get a clean launch at the football. His big focus at the moment is reading the offensive cues to be able to provide an option for the kicker when playing forward. 

Hewago “Ace” Paul Oea:

Ace had a really pleasing performance on the weekend as a small forward. He played his role and worked hard to support our defence. He had a high involvement around the middle of the ground but could have executed better with the ball. He had some terrific contest wins and we were happy with his efforts.

Malcolm Rosas Jnr:

Mally had an impressive game on the weekend and is looking more and more dangerous around the ball. He was stronger in the contests and is playing with AFL speed and intensity which helped him generate multiple scores this week. The only thing letting him down at the moment is his polish to finish off his work for a goal or his connection to hit a target which is going to be a focus this week.

Josh Schoenfeld:

It was a bit more of a quieter game for Schoey this week as we tried him out in a few different positions. He spent time on the wing, in the forward line and as an inside midfielder. He was great defensively but wasn’t as clean as he has been in recent weeks on offense. He’s already been working hard at training this week so he can have a bigger impact this weekend.