Suns AFLW coach David Lake reveals why his side remain a solid chance of defeating Fremantle in Perth

He’s never once failed to coach a senior footy side to finals and now David Lake reveals the reason Fremantle are still undeafted.

“They’re only undefeated because they haven’t played against us.”

Those are the words of Suns AFLW coach David Lake as he prepares his side to take on the AFLW’s toughest task; try and defeat the undefeated Fremantle Dockers in Perth.

Lake, a veteran of the South East Queensland football coaching scene, has never once failed to coach a senior footy side to finals and he wasn’t about to let it change with the Suns in their AFLW debut season.

PERTH, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 15: David Lake, Senior Coach of the Suns coach addresses the team at three quarter time break during the 2020 AFLW Round 06 match between the West Coast Eagles and the Gold Coast Suns at Mineral Resources Park on March 15, 2020 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Daniel Carson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Just one week after defeating the West Coast Eagles in Perth, the Suns now get the chance to write their own destiny and forge forward as the first club’s first team to qualify for finals after the AFLW decided to bypass the final two rounds of finals and proceed with an eight-team, three-week finals series amid coronavirus fears.

“Some would say we’ve overachieved but I would word it differently and say we’ve found the best version of ourselves,” Lake said.

“I’m like okay this was the expectation (making finals) and so we went out and found the right group of girls to allow us to achieve that goal.

“There’s a little bit of dare to dream in this because there’s no limit to what we can achieve.

“We can match it with the way we play against the way they (Fremantle) go about it.”

CONFIRMED: SUNS TO PLAY FINALS FOOTY

Having lost the opportunity to take on Adelaide at Fankhasuer reserve this Sunday due to the abbreviated fixture, the Suns have now not played at home since their Round 3 draw against the Brisbane Lions.

Tasked with four weeks of back to back travel, including back to back trips out west, Lake was adamant that a challenging travel schedule would have no bearing on the final result.

“If they rang up and said we were playing on the moon, we still would have shown up,” he said.

“I actually reckon it’s an advantage to be in Perth, to be honest.

“When we spend time together, we connect really well.”

Lake said he and his players were also owning underdog status ahead of their history-making bout against the Dockers.

“It’s a great place to live your life,” he said.

“You can do anything if you can dream hard enough and with our group of girls, that’s been our sell.”