Gold Coast Suns AFL: Sam Collins vows player response after Damien Hardwick’s public spray

Gold Coast vice-captain Sam Collins says Damien Hardwick’s message was heard loud and clear after the coach’s public spray in the wake of the shock loss to North Melbourne.

Gold Coast vice-captain Sam Collins says Damien Hardwick’s message was heard loud and clear by the playing group after the coach’s public spray in the wake of the shock loss to North Melbourne.

Hardwick arrived to his post-match press conference clearly frustrated and even dropped an F-bomb in urging his playing group to “grow the f--- up” after the loss to the lowly Kangaroos.

The Suns pushed back their usual Tuesday morning training session to further review the match and Collins vowed he and his teammates would make amends.

Damien Hardwick oversees Suns training on Tuesday. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

“That press conference wasn’t anything new to us. We spoke about that before the presser and his message in the press conference was pretty much what he said to us as a playing group,” Collins said.

“We’re all aligned in our thinking and all aware of what the shortfalls were in our game last week but the important thing is we have a clear strategy moving forward.

“Absolutely it was fair comments. At the end of the day we’re professional footballers, we’re paid to perform and we underdelivered on the weekend.”

One of the cornerstones of Hardwick’s message was a perceived lack of effort from his playing group.

“Our system was up to scratch, there was just a bit of that intent piece,” Collins said of the review.

“We were wasteful inside 50 so there’s a bit to work on there, but at the end of the day our system stacked up and we just need to make sure we’re delivering on the intent.”

Whether Hardwick’s approach was valid or not has been a hot topic in media circles this week but young defender Bodhi Uwland says the coach’s words got the desired effect.

“It was a very clear and fair message. We underperformed and we recognised that and we will learn from it.”

Vice-captain Sam Collins expects a response from the Suns playing group after the loss to North Melbourne. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

There is an expectation Hardwick could swing the axe at selection this week ahead of Sunday’s home game against Port Adelaide.

The Suns will be forced into at least two changes, with co-captain Touk Miller and veteran key forward Sam Day both expected to miss multiple weeks.

Miller was subbed out of Saturday’s game with a wrist injury and scans revealed a fracture that could keep him out for up to six weeks.

Day meanwhile was playing arguably the best game of his career before hobbling off the field late in the third quarter. He was spotted in a moon boot at training on Tuesday and will be out for 4-6 weeks with plantar fasciitis.

Miller’s fellow co-captain Jarrod Witts will have to prove his fitness on Thursday before he is cleared to return from the fractured vertebrae that kept him out of the North Melbourne clash.

If Witts misses again, then vice-captains Collins and Noah Anderson will take the reins against Port Adelaide in a game that once again has season-defining implications.

The Suns are yet to lose at home this season, but that record will be put under the ultimate stress test by the Power who boast of the most dominant head-to-head records in AFL history.

Gold Coast’s first-ever win as a club came against Port Adelaide in round 5, 2011. Since then the Power have won 14 consecutive meetings between the two sides.

Ken Hinkley’s men have won their past two games since being put under the microscope following a 79-point thumping at home to Brisbane.

Touk Miller could miss a month or more with a wrist injury. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

The eight-goal victory over the Western Bulldogs last weekend lifted them back into the top eight.

A win on Sunday would not only keep the Suns in touch with the top eight, it would hamper one of their major would-be finals rivals in the process.

“I’m really not too sure on the past (but) I think it’s irrelevant to the game coming up this week,” said Collins of the head-to-head record.

“We’re a completely different side to where we’ve been in the past and we’re looking forward to having a big response in the contest against Port Adelaide this week.

“Our best football is good football and we’re looking forward to performing against a team coming off a really good win.”

Originally published as Gold Coast Suns AFL: Sam Collins vows player response after Damien Hardwick’s public spray