Gold Coast Suns vow to support Will Graham after heartbreaking tragedy
Young Sun Will Graham has made an emotional return to training as Gold Coast prepares for a finals-defining clash against GWS, less than a week after losing his brother.
The Gold Coast Suns have vowed to rally around young gun midfielder Will Graham upon his return to training following the tragic loss of his brother.
Jackson Graham, 22, died on Wednesday last week, prompting Gold Coast to don black armbands during the win over Carlton.
Graham spent time away from the club this week but bravely returned to training on Tuesday, less than a week after the 20-year-old and his family were rocked by Jackson’s passing.
“It’s been a tough week for the whole club,” teammate Lachie Weller said.
“It was unreal to see him (Graham) in here today getting around the boys.
“We support him early but it’s going to be really important we support him through the whole journey.
“It’s going to be a long run back.”
Gold Coast drew inspiration from their teammate’s bravery through a life-changing week to fend off a late Carlton charge on Saturday.
They will do so again in a vital clash against Greater Western Sydney.
Beating the Giants will carry Gold Coast to 15 wins, a tally which should lock in the club’s first voyage into the AFL finals.
Weller is confident his side can claim revenge against GWS this weekend after they suffered a narrow defeat to them earlier in the year.
“We know that our system stands up against the best and that’s what we did a few weeks ago against them,” he said.
“We’ll try and do that and try and close out the game this time.”
Throughout this unprecedented run, Suns players have not focused on the chance of a top eight finish and instead remained locked in on each game week to week.
Now with finals within touching distance, Weller said even he is not immune to the buzz around the Suns.
“We had a good chat today about things we control as a team and it’s going to be a bit of a different feel,” he said.
“VFL have one more game left so it’s keeping the whole squad engaged because it takes a whole village to achieve the ultimate
“We’ve got foundation members that have been around for ages that have been through the tough times so it’s going to be fantastic to see them watch us play finals and be a part of it as well.
“There’s a lot of guys in the team that have gone through the tough years and it’s just a really exciting time for the club.”
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