Gold Coast Suns AFL news you need to know
Where does the club stand on Will Brodie’s future at the Suns? Will they implement a rotation policy? When will the contracts for Rowell and Anderson be lodged and how are forwards Sam Flanders and Malcolm Rosas placed? Here is the Suns news you need to know.
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WHERE does the club stand on Will Brodie’s future at the Suns? Will they implement a rotation policy? When will the contracts for Rowell and Anderson be lodged and how are forwards Sam Flanders and Malcolm Rosas placed? Here is the Suns news you need to know.
WILL BRODIE’S FUTURE:
It was Peter Wright last week, and this week media reports linked Will Brodie to a potential move away from Gold Coast.
The Suns inside midfielder is contracted until the end of 2022 but with Brodie playing just one senior game so far this year speculation is mounting he may seek a trade at season’s end.
Gold Coast football manager Jon Haines played questioning from News Corp with a straight bat this week.
“In short Will is a contracted player,” Haines said.
“He detailed his commitment to us by signing and we have done the same with him.”
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ROTATIONS:
Gold Coast won’t implement a strict rotation policy throughout the upcoming AFL rounds that have been condesnsed due to COVID-19 and will instead adopt a case-by-case approach.
The Suns had a five-day break leading into their clash with the Western Bulldogs, a 10 day break going into this Sunday’s Round 9 game against GWS and will then have four days and five day-breaks before gaems against St Kilda and Essendon respectively.
Coach Stuart Dew hinted he may need to bring in fresh troops in the coming period while Haines said they would wait to determine how individual players were feeling.
“We are focusing on recovery and it’s an individualised approach,” Haines said.
“They are our two key considerations. Some players will handle the loads OK and others will need a slightly different approach.”
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CONTRACTS:
THE AFL has given the green light for club’s to lodge contracts and for the Suns it’s about waiting for “the appropriate time”.
Matt Rowell and Noah Anderson are expected to be among the first to recommit for Gold Coast and Haines said the club continued to be comfortabale with where discussions were at.
ROWELL READY FOR FINALS?
A fairytale return from Matt Rowell via what would be the Suns first finals campaign looks unlikely on the back of the condensed schedule.
Rowell, who dislocated his shoulder at the start of July playing against Geelong, is a couple of weeks into his rehabilitation, a process expected to take between 12-16 weeks.
With 11 games left Rowell would be very unlikely to play if Gold Coast managed to make the eight.
“His arm is out of the sling and in another week he will move into his first phase of rehab where he will start to rebuild the strength in and around the shoulder,” Haines said.
TRACKING THE RESERVES:
Forward Sam Flanders is pressing for a spot in Gold Coast’s best 22 while exciting small forward Malcolm Rosas is still adjusting to life in the AFL system.
Flanders has been among the best in the recent reserves games and Dew said he could sneak into the side in the coming weeks.
“Sam is very close,” Dew said.
“We love his intensity on the track and he played well last week.
“He will have another run around this week and be right in the mix for this upcoming period.”
Haines said Rosas was tracking well after suffering some injury setbacks.
“He has had a couple of little injury setbacks here and there but he has been impressive,” Haines said.
“The more continuity he gets with games and playing against seasoned AFL players then it will only help him.
“He is adjusting to the demands of AFl football, both in training and preparation. There is no doubt he has got talent, genuine speed and a great goal sense.”
EARLIER:
IRISHMAN Luke Towey has become the masked man for Gold Coast as he edges towards a return following an incident that left him with a fractured eye.
Towey is back doing full training this week and sporting a mask resembling something used by skiers on the snow.
The Suns category B rookie suffered the injury while playing in a scratch match against Fremantle at the start of July.
Suns football manager Jon Haines said it occurred when Towey copped a stray elbow to the eye during a contest.
“He is back training and will wear a protective eye guard after taking some time for it to remedy itself,” Haines said.
“He was a bit frustrated because he wants to play and it was a bit of an unusual one.”
Towey was a star of Gaelic football but impressed Suns recruiters with his speed and agility last year, clocking 2.82 seconds for a 20m sprint.
Haines said Towey had been developing quickly in the Suns system since his arrival but the health of the list meant it would be hard for anyone outside the best 22 to crack into the team.
“He is really eager to keep progressing and improve,” Haines said.
“He is savouring every moment. Luke is keen, committed and has a great attitude so we can’t fault him.
“It’s hard to say when he will get his chance because he has a lot of development in front of him still, which he understands, and we have good availability at the moment.”
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