Gold Coast Suns star Aaron Hall to miss Round 1 after finger surgery

LIFE without Gary Ablett just got harder for Gold Coast with news Aaron Hall requires surgery on an injured finger. So who will the struggling club look to for a midfield boost?

JACK Bowes’ career as an AFL midfielder could begin in his home town of Cairns after an injury to Aaron Hall opened the door for him to spend time on the ball against the Kangaroos in Round 1.

Bowes played 11 games, mostly across half back, in a debut season that was interrupted by a bout of tonsillitis which made him lose weight and strength.

But he was a standout midfielder throughout his junior career and that is where the Suns need his poise and ball use.

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Given Bowes was a part of the Suns academy and they had four picks in the top 10, and were no danger of missing out on him, he was not taken until pick 10. But he was widely considered among the top five players in that draft.

When Pearce Hanley was injured against Brisbane last week, Bowes dropped back to defence.

He spent his time over the pre-season playing on a wing and will likely line up there against the Kangaroos in Cairns next Saturday.

With Hall absent due to a broken left finger, Bowes may get some time in the middle at centre bounces.

Aaron Hall will have a delayed start to the 2018 season. Picture: Michael Klein

“There is still a long way to go yet, the body still has some maturing to do but that is the plan,’’ Bowes said.

“I trained on the wing all pre-season and getting bits and pieces inside.

“The end goal for myself, having been a midfielder throughout the juniors, is to play there in an AFL side.’’

His profile in the AFL’s season guide lists Bowes as having put on 4kg since his debut season. To the eye, it looks more like he has built muscle.

He says he can feel the increased strength in contested situations but the league is full of big-bodied midfielders and the Kangaroos are well stocked in that department.

Bowes knows he must constantly work on improving his technique to win one-on-one contests for the footy.

“It helps a little bit, going up against bigger bodies – you need that strength,’’ he said.

“But you need to be able to find other ways to win the footy without relying on strength.’’

Bowes conceded Hall’s absence was a blow but said some new-found depth at the club gave the side confidence.

“We’ll miss his leadership, but when one soldier goes down another stands up and we have got plenty of competition for spots,’’ he said.

Jack Bowes is ready for some time in the middle. Picture: Alix Sweeney

“I’m sure the void will be filled and we have a lot of trust in whoever comes in.’’

Suns football manager Jon Haines said Hall suffered the injury in the final pre-season match against Brisbane.

“We had it assessed and the preferred option was to have some fairly simple surgery,” he said.