Gold Coast Suns AFL midfielder Jack Bowes has undergone surgery on his shoulder

A Gold Coast Suns midfielder could miss the first six rounds of the AFL season after undergoing surgery on his shoulder. Read all the details here.

SUNS mifielder Jack Bowes could miss the first six rounds of the AFL season after undergoing surgery on his shoulder.

Bowes suffered the injury while tackling a teammate at training on the Gold Coast last week and is expected to be unavailable for around three months.

It is a disappointing end to what has been a strong preseason campaign for both Bowes and the Gold Coast who boast a relatively healthy list outside of the 24-year-old’s setback.

“He has been training very well,” Suns football manager Wayne Campbell said.

“It was a fairly innocuous incident and just got his arm caught while tackling.

“The surgery was a success so we expect him to be back playing in about three months.”

Jack Bowes has undergone shoulder surgery. Picture: Chris Hyde/AFL Photos/Getty Images.

Bowes was due to spend 2022 playing on-ball and was in the mix to replace Hugh Greenwood who shifted to North Melbourne in the off-season.

He was in a battle for the spot with the likes of Brayden Fiorini, Rory Atkins and Alex Davies.

Noah Anderson, who was forced on to the win and half-forward throughout his first two years at the club while Greenwood filled the position in the midfield, is looking the most likely to get the nod to play more minutes inside the engine room.

Campbell said Anderson, who impressed in two 10 minutes halves of match simulation on Thursday, was “a man compared to what he was two years ago”.

“We are pretty well stocked in the midfield with guys like (Matt) Rowell, Anderson, Dave Swallow, Touk Miller and Brayden Fiorini.

“It is a position we feel we have got covered pretty well.

“The opportunity (Greenwood leaving) presents for someone like Noah is huge. He got spat out to a win or half-forward role a bit more last year when he was in there and there is an opportunity there that he is ready for. There is some real upside there.”

Outside of Bowes’ injury the Suns have got through the preseason largely unscathed, with the rest of the 50-man list tracking well towards the season start in March.

One member of the group is currently in isolation under the covid health and safety protocols.

Rory Thompson, Connor Budarick and Jarrod Witts are all moving freely as they look to return from ACL injuries while former Richmond tall Mabior Chol is starting to find some fitness after making the transition to Queensland from Melbourne.

Midfielders Nathan Freeman and James Tsitas remain in a tight battle to secure the last place on Gold Coast’s list, with the club weighing up which player to sign during the preseason Supplemental Selection Period that ends on March 9.

It is expected the duo will continue to train for the next week, making use of the match simulations, before the club makes a decision.

PREVIOUSLY

ALL-AUSTRALIAN Touk Miller has dipped into the world of sports psychology to ensure his career-best AFL season isn’t a flash in the pan.

The Gold Coast Suns midfielder had a year to remember in 2021, averaging 32 ­possessions a game while averaging 7 tackles, the third-­highest in the league.

The 25-year-old Suns vice-captain was lauded for his work ethic and labelled by many around the game as the best two-way runner in the league.

It came on the back of six years of hard work where ­Miller grinded on the training track, bolstering his strengths whilere fining his kicking ­efficiency and speed across the ground.

But the respected football figure isn’t done yet. Miller believes he still has untapped potential and has delved into the mental side of his game in a bid to find further improvements heading into the 2022 season.

“There are a few things I am focusing on for next season and I’m really confident I can get it done,” Miller said.

“I have a lot of self belief that if I action things I have been working on then it can ­really help me next season.

“It is about consistency but I’m also going big on the mental piece and finding my ‘why’ for football.

“Why I play, what is my purpose in football and how I’m going to find the ability to back up games and be really consistent at a high level all the time.

“I know I was able to show that this year but you can’t just do it for one year.

“I think it’s really important I’m able to back that up and rub off on some of the young boys that can get to that point in their careers as well.

“I’m just one link in the chain and hopefully I can back up and have a really strong year and go again.”

Miller said he has been working with the Suns psychologist in order to tap into the matter of the mind.

“It’s a slow process. It doesn’t happen overnight and materialise straight away,” Miller said.

“You are forever building on it but it is a cool space to ­explore that can help you find that consistent hunger in footy.

“You see that happen in elite sport. People can get super successful and really elite and then they fall off the cliff.

“That comes from losing the hunger and the drive and your why for playing.

“That is what I’m trying to explore now so I can keep improving and become a better player and person.”

EARLIER:

Gold Coast coach Stuart Dew believes the club has the means to cover Suns’ defect Hugh Greenwood, even if it changes the dynamic of the midfield group.

Speaking for the first time since Greenwood’s shock move to North Melbourne, Dew said the Suns have depth in their midfield group and he was willing to experiment with its make-up to find the right balance.

Alex Davies boasts a similar stature to Greenwood at 191cm but is still raw after just a year in the system, leaving Dew to mull over a large group of candidates.

“We have obviously got Alex Davies who played late in the season,” Dew said.

“Brayden Fiorini came back (in Round 14) and played really well when Hugh was injured.

“We got some more game time into Matt Rowell and Noah (Anderson) went up a notch.

“We feel we have good depth there and we also picked up Charlie Constable as a mature body which is important for us.”

Jack Bowes has also been training with the midfield group after spending the bulk of 2021 playing in the backline, while Elijah Hollands, who has had a slow build up after coming into the Suns system on the back of a knee injury, is also vying for a spot across midfield and forward.

The bulk of the playing group had the chance to show their wares in the club’s final training session of 2021 on Wednesday, with the squad to return on January 10.

The group took part in some match simulation, playing three 10 minute stints in 30C heat at the club’s Carrara base.

The best forwards and defenders available played on opposing sides, while the best midfielders were split between the two.

The five-on-five battle at one end of the ground had Ben King, Jack Lukosius, Darcy Macpherson, Izak Rankine and Nick Holman playing against Caleb Graham, Charlie Ballard, Sean Lemmens, Jy Farrar and Lachie Weller.

Ex-Collingwood player Nathan Freeman looked impressive as he vies for a spot on Gold Coast’s list.

A host of players didn’t take part including Alex Sexton, who is coming off groin surgery, Oleg Markov (quad), Wil Powell (concussion), Brandon Ellis (calf), Sam Collins (foot), Sam Day (wrist), Connor Budarick, David Swallow, Chris Burgess, Rory Thompson, Jarrod Witts, Mac Andrew, Mabiol Chol, Charlie Constable, Matt Conroy, Rhys Nicholls.

None of the injuries are considered serious and all are expected to resume training when the group returns next year.

The match simulation also provided the first opportunity for Jack Lukosius, who has made the move to the forward line, to link up with Ben King in front of goals in what looks to be a promising pairing.

EARLIER:

Suns powerbrokers have discussed re-signing Stuart Dew early next year in the clearest sign yet he will remain head coach of Gold Coast beyond 2022.

Dew goes into next year under enormous pressure to finally bring success to a club that has had little to celebrate in its first 11 years.

Next year will Dew’s fifth at the helm of Gold Coast, he is out of contract at the end of the season and for the first time under his watch the club has been vocal about its expectation to make finals.

Despite the magnitude of events to come next year, Suns hierarchy are already confident Dew is the man who will take the club forward into 2023 and beyond.

It is unlikely an extension will come before the start of the 2022 season but many at the club are keen to remove the distraction that would come with talk about his future as the year progresses.

Discussions are already being held internally at the Suns as to when the right time would be to do a deal.

His future has already been a hot topic of discussion given Alastair Clarkson’s departure from Hawthorn this year.

It is an incredible vote of confidence in Dew who first arrived in 2018 and then signed a two-year contract extension in 2020.

Under his guidance, the Suns have a winning percentage of 23.49%, winning 19 of his first 63 games in charge.

The list is his to own after turning it over in recent years. The squad has a core nucleus of exciting young talent including Ben King, Matt Rowell, Noah Anderson, Sam Flanders, Jack Lukosius, Izak Rankine, Alex Davies and Elijah Hollands, Connor Budarick and Jeremy Sharp and Jack Bowes.

They have been ushered in around the likes of established senior players including captains Jarrod Witts and David Swallow, All-Australian Touk Miller, Brandon Ellis, Lachie Weller and Sam Collins while Mabiol Chol and the impending arrival of Levi Casboult will bolster the team’s tall stocks further going into next year.

King, Lukosius and Rankine are among the key players off contract at the end of 2022. The club has already had informal discussions with King and confident it can retain Lukosius while Rankine will likely be eager to find consistency in his game before opening discussions on a new deal.

One of Dew’s key strengths has been his ability to connect with the playing group who believe in his vision for the future and the style of football he wants to play.

Originally published as Gold Coast Suns AFL midfielder Jack Bowes has undergone surgery on his shoulder