AFLW 2020: The players the Suns should target in the AFLW trade period

The sign and trade period is on hold, but that hasn’t stopped us submitting our wish list. We look at the three players the Suns should target to improve their list.

THE AFLW sign and trade period is on hold indefinitely as the league scrambles to assemble a picture of what 2021 may look like as COVID-19 continues to ravage the sporting landscape. But that won’t stop us from assembling our wish list. To be honest, there are very few chinks in the Suns armour and given time together as a playing unit, we expect them to develop naturally. But as the Suns look towards next year, we’ve highlighted the three player types we think they should target to strengthen their already talented list.

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Contested marking forward

In 2020, the Suns finished third last in the league for marks taken, only beating out fellow expansion sides West Coast and Richmond. Marks don’t win games, but imagine how more potent the Suns forward line could be if they had a tall, marking target who can either clunk a couple close to goal or create an aerial contest that allows the likes of Kalinda Howarth to get to work on the ground. Fellow forward Brittany Perry is a strong overhead mark and lead the Suns with 27 grabs in 2020 but was often used as a connector from mid to forward rather than a focal point.

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Dream signing: We’re talking dream trade targets here, so imagine if the Suns made a play for Queenslander Tayla Harris? It would be a hard task to drag her away from the Blues but the high flying forward is a perfect fit for the aerial mould.

Tayla Harris of the Blues kicks a goal during the 2020 AFLW Round 05 match between the Carlton Blues and the St Kilda Saints at Ikon Park on March 07, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Hidden gem: Looking within the four walls, Taylor Smith could easily develop into the marking powerhouse the Suns desire. Standing at 182cm, we caught a glimpse of Smith in her debut against the Eagles but the former heptathlete has plenty of time to develop after deciding to play footy only two years ago.

Taylor Smith of the Suns and Parris Laurie of the Eagles contest the ball during the Round 6 AFLW match between the West Coast Eagles and Gold Coast Suns at Mineral Resources Park in Perth, Sunday, March 14, 2020. (AAP Image/Richard Wainwright)

Pace and precision out of the back half

Don’t get us wrong, for a line consisting almost entirely of first-year players, the Suns defence was rock solid all season long. There’s a reason Jade Pregelj and Lauren Ahrens shared runner-up Club Champion honours and the Suns boasted the third-best defence in Conference A. But what team would say no to someone who can break lines, hit targets and set up forward thrusts from defensive 50?

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Philipa Seth of the Dockers is tackled by Anne Hatchard of the Crows during the 2019 NAB AFLW Round 04 match between the Adelaide Crows and the Fremantle Dockers at TIO Stadium on February 23, 2019 in Darwin, Australia. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Media)

Dream signing: One player who’s slowly building a very solid AFLW resume is Fremantle’s Philipa Seth. The dashing defender was named in the AFLW team of the week in round three following a strong rebounding effort against Collingwood and also won the Docker’s best first-year player award last season.

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Hidden gem: We didn’t get to see her in 2020 due to injury but Kitara Whap-Farrar ticks a lot of boxes. The former track runner is explosive around the ground and always looks to use her run and carry. Whap-Farrar is also an Under-18 All Australian and will add another layer to the Sun’s side.

Kitara Whap-Farrar during a Gold Coast Suns AFLW training session at Leyshon Park on January 29, 2020 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

Another inside midfielder

The Suns inside midfielder stocks are pretty stable, with Club Champion Jamie Stanton, rising star Jacqui Yorston and first-year player Hannah Dunn all getting their hands dirty throughout the season. But take one out of the equation and the Suns run into some trouble, as seen when Dunn missed the Suns clash against Geelong in Mackay. Kate Surman had more than her fair share of contested ball throughout the season as well, but the Suns may love one more they could throw into the centre bounce and trust to will the ball forward.

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Alyce Parker of the Giants kicks the ball during the round one AFLW match between the Greater Western Sydney Giants and the Gold Coast Suns at Blacktown International Sportspark on February 08, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images)

Dream trade target: We had to snub a lot of AFLW greats for this pick but when it comes to inside midfielders, we look south to Giants All-Australian midfielder Alyce Parker. In just her second season, Parker shone for the Giants at the source and developed a love for breaking away from stoppages. She’s still only a teenager and has her best footy in front of her.

Dee Heslop (right) of the Suns is tackled by Dakota Davidson (left) of the Lions during the Round 3 AFLW match between the Gold Coast Suns and Brisbane Lions at Metricon Stadium on the Gold Coast, Saturday, February 22, 2020 (AAP Image/Darren England)

Hidden gem: Dee Heslop willed her way into the Suns Round 1 side and played all seven games for the club this season and will only improve with more AFLW exposure. A noted junior contested ball winner, Heslop has the endurance and work rate to develop into a dominant inside midfielder going forward.